


Erotes

by Bickymonster



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Sex, F/M, Inheritance, M/M, Matchmaking, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mpreg, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Sexual Content, Wings, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-10 22:55:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 33
Words: 233,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/791132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bickymonster/pseuds/Bickymonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wakes up very confused, in the Hogwarts entrance hall; what confuses him most are the wings on his back and that Draco Malfoy is in his lap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Erotes

**Author's Note:**

> Copyright notice - While all characters, ideas and creations from the Original Harry Potter works remain copyrighted by JKRowling, and she retains all legal rights to them; I do claim copyright on the original characters, ideas and creations within this story that are entirely my own and full permission is required if you wish to publish or use them anywhere else.
> 
>  
> 
> This story has a lot of pairings that will slowly develop as the story progresses, but it is mostly about the Harry/Draco relationship. Some of the pairings may be subject to change as this is still a WIP but I will change the tags if they do.
> 
> STORY CURRENTLY UNDERGOING FULL EDIT - Edited up to chapter 29 as of 30/11/2015

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 27/11/2014)

Harry Potter slowly came back to consciousness with a sharp sensation of cold against his back and beneath his nearly numb arse. It was strange in comparison to the warmth radiating from the person curled up against his chest; a sleeping person, if the slow breathing was any indication. He was also aware of the odd feeling of something smooth and soft against his arms and legs; it made him think of strips of silk, or maybe even feathers, but could think of no explanation for either of those.

He felt dazed, tired and ached all over; more than anything though, he was confused; it was certainly not normal for him to wake up with someone asleep on his lap and it felt as though neither of them was wearing much more than a shirt.

"Harry?" a gentle and vaguely familiar voice asked.

Harry groaned slightly, not really wanting to wake up properly and deal with whatever was going on. Leaning his cheek against the soft hair of the head resting on his shoulder, he breathed in deeply, enjoying the comforting scent of whoever it was.

"Harry?" the voice asked again and Harry's gut instinct was to curse Ron and his need to wake others up, but he began to realise that it didn't feel like he was in the Gryffindor dormitory and he was fairly sure that that didn't really sound like Ron's voice; not to mention that asking nicely wasn't really his best friend's style.

Reluctantly he opened his eyes, and raised his head just enough to meet the twinkling blue ones of the Headmaster. The older man was crouched next to him watching him cautiously. Blinking slowly a couple of times, Harry tried to process what was going on and form something close to rational thoughts. He noticed the head leaning against his shoulder was covered in very long, almost white, blond hair and the pair of them seemed to be wrapped in a weird deep green feathery blanket; as he glanced around the room, he came to the conclusion that they were in a corner of the Hogwarts Entrance Hall.

"What happened?" Harry mumbled, hoping that Dumbledore might have some answers.

"All will become clear in due time, my boy," the headmaster told him with a small sympathetic smile that made Harry a little nervous, wondering what had come along and complicated his life now. "But for the moment, just take your time to wake up a little more. Then we shall see to it that you are both taken to the medical wing and checked over."

If he hadn't still been feeling so drained, Harry though that he would have been able to express his annoyance at the lack of information he was being given; however, as it was, he couldn't find the energy to do so. He was also becoming more aware of the pain radiating up his spine from sitting on the hard stone of the Entrance Hall’s floor for who knew how long, and so, stretching slightly, he shuffled to try and become more comfortable.

He had been trying to be careful not to wake the small form on his lap, but couldn't hold in the startled yelp when, not only did the pain in his back twinge sharply, but the green blanket around them appeared to move with him. The alarmed and somewhat panicked noise startled his companion enough to make them whine softly, turn their head towards him and snuggle against his neck. Acting on protective instincts, which he didn't understand in the slightest, Harry willed the feathers to wrap more tightly around them both.

It was about the point that Harry realised that it wasn't a blanket around them at all but a huge pair of wings; a huge pair of wings which were attached to him. The other person also seemed to have similar appendages, though smaller, seemingly folded against their back, and purple in colour.

"Harry, take deep breaths, it is going to be okay." Dumbledore tried to placate him when he saw that the young man was starting to panic.

"Wings," Harry said a little breathlessly, wracking his brain to try and make of sense of it all. "Why the fuck do I have wings?" he asked, turning to look at Dumbledore again, with wide fearful eyes. He was definitely struggling not to panic. Through it all though he managed to keep his voice quiet, as he didn't want to wake the person asleep against him; one problem at a time and all that.

"Language, Harry," the headmaster chastised lightly. "You have wings because something of your true self manifested itself last night; however, this will take more explaining than I would care to do in our current location."

Harry frowned at that, not having any idea what the headmaster was talking about. He was definitely not in the mood for Dumbledore's cryptic messages and was about to demand they find a different location, then, when he felt the soft breaths against his neck stop and the body curled up against him tense.

"Please try not to panic, Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said in the same tone he had used to speak to Harry when he had first begun to wake up. The headmaster's words, while apparently directed at the person who had just awoken, only caused Harry to start to panic more.

"Malfoy?" Harry exclaimed as Draco tipped his head back and stared at him with pale grey eyes, wide with shock. Part of Harry's mind told him he was an idiot for not having recognised the distinctive white blond of the other person's hair; however, he stubbornly reminded that little voice in his head that it wasn't as though waking up with Malfoy on his lap was anywhere within what he had considered to be the realm of possibility.

"Potter?" Draco's voice was tense and seemed to be just as confused as Harry felt, but the death grip his hands had on the front of Harry's shirt didn't loosen. They both seemed so overwhelmed that they just stayed frozen for several minutes, staring at each other, until something seemed to click for Draco.

"Oh, Merlin," the blond exclaimed. "No... No, no, no, no, no." Draco was definitely panicking now; his hands were flush against Harry's chest as he tried to push himself away, trying to move backwards despite the large green wings which held him firmly in place.  "No," Draco wailed.

Harry was pretty convinced that the other boy was only moments away from actually bursting into tears. He was plenty worried about what could have happened to leave them in such a position, but his instincts told him not to let go. He certainly had no idea what Draco was talking about, and was feeling increasingly confused as the blond started beating on Harry's chest with his fists.

"No-one was supposed to hear, no-one," Draco whined, a look of fearful desperation on his face. "Especially not you," he added, shaking his head and trying to push away from Harry's body once more. "Let me get up, you bastard. I can't believe you did this to me."

Dumbledore was saying something but the two boys were only focused on each other; it took a great deal of will power for Harry to resist his unexplained instincts, and unfurl his wings to release Draco. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him not to, despite his own disgust at that, feeling repulsed and embarrassed by his desire to keep hold of the young blond.

Draco's face was wet from the tears he was no longer able to hold back, as he finally managed to scrabble backward off Harry's lap. At this point Harry became humiliatingly aware that he had been entirely correct in thinking neither of them were wearing many clothes; particularly when he couldn't keep himself for taking in the sight before him. He was thankful that the shirts, they were wearing, were at least long enough to cover their more private parts.

However,  Harry only had a very short moment to admire Draco's well toned legs and the way that the blond's beautiful, but much smaller, purple wings spread out behind him, before Draco was clutching at his stomach and whining in pain.

Harry didn't even think before he moved and was next to Draco in a blink of an eye; he caught him with both his arms and wings as the pale blond collapsed, eyes rolling back in his head, only just managing to do so before Draco collided with the hard stone ground. Harry's heart was hammering in his chest, and he couldn't explain the relief that flooded his body when he saw how Draco's pain seemed to subside, the blond letting out a breath that was close to a sigh.

"Draco," Harry said softly, as he held the smaller boy tight against his own body, willing whatever just happened to not happen again. He had never liked seeing anyone hurt, but at least some small part of his brain registered that his emotions were more intense than he would have normally expected; he could feel his body thrumming with adrenaline from the panic when he had seen Draco's pain and he was vaguely aware of the tears now on his own face.

"I can't believe you actually did this to me," Draco mumbled quietly, his eyes flickering open as he apparently regained consciousness again. Harry continued to hold Draco close, deciding to trust the strange instincts this time and he opened his mouth to ask about what he had supposedly done, but the headmaster was apparently determined that they wouldn't discuss the matter where they were.

"Harry, we need to get you both to the medical wing," Dumbledore said, before Harry had a chance to speak. "You will need to maintain body contact, so may I suggest you carry Mr Malfoy."

Harry frowned at Dumbledore, figuring that the headmaster knew something that he didn't, and that it must have been the body contact that had eased Draco's pain. He had almost expected for the blond to argue and fight against the headmaster's suggestion, but Draco seemed subdued in a way that Harry found oddly disturbing.

It took some assistance from the Headmaster for Harry to manage to get to his feet whilst maintaining his hold on Draco. The blond was softly crying but apparently as resigned to the situation for the moment as Harry was, as he wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and his legs around Harry's waist. Harry supposed that Draco was keen not to experience the pain from before again; Harry could understand that. It was with a blush on his cheek that Harry hooked his own arms under Draco's bum holding him, his large green wings instinctively keeping the blond securely against his chest.

He could feel the odd sensation of Draco's wings fluttering gently against his own, as they walked through the castle. It must have been early morning because the sun was still low in the sky, leaving most of the corridors in dim light with stark shadows and there were no students walking around. Harry found himself glad for this, given he was now very aware of just how little clothing he was wearing.

While Draco's modesty was more or less safely protected by Harry's wings, a strong gust of wind would likely show off a good deal more of himself than Harry would ever want to be seen in public. Not to mention he didn't have the slightest idea how he could possibly explain the fact that he now had wings and was walking through the castle carrying Draco Malfoy and that both of them were half naked. That was certainly a whole set of rumours that he just didn't need to deal with.

They walked in silence, despite the questions that Harry was burning to ask, and by the time they reached the large doors to the medical wing, Harry was quite sure that Draco was asleep in his arms again. It was a strange feeling and he felt at war with himself; he was still feeling very confused and while having his long-time rival asleep, almost naked, in his arms should have been repulsive, his mind seemed to be almost purring at him in contentment.

"I believe that Madam Pomfrey will not mind if you lie down, Harry," Dumbledore said, indicating a bed at the far end.  

Harry frowned at that, feeling rather embarrassed by the whole situation and thinking that lying down was likely to only make it even more awkward; however, Harry's arse was too sore for him to sit up any longer, even if it was on a mattress and so he gave a sigh and followed the headmaster to the far end of the medical wing.

Dumbledore pulled up a chair next to one of the beds, as Harry climbed onto it. Using his wings for additional support, Harry managed to unwind Draco's legs from around him and lay down on the bed, trying to ignore how exposed he felt and the way the look that the headmaster was giving them. Instead he peered down at Draco, who was asleep on his chest, straddling his body and pulled the bed covers over their lower halves to give some protection for their modesty.

"Why do we have to keep body contact?" Harry asked after a few moments, and then that  one question seemed to open the flood gates. "What is happening to us? What do you know? Draco clearly has some idea what is going on at least, it is only fair you catch me up here," he insisted, turning his attention back to the headmaster; Dumbledore had said he wouldn't explain while they were in the Entrance Hall, which Harry kind of understood, but now they had moved to a more private location he wanted answers.

Dumbledore watched them both calculatingly, seemingly giving his words serious consideration before he spoke. "You need to maintain body contact to allow your combined magic to stabilise the child," the headmaster said, giving Harry a pointed look over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "If I am correctly, and I flatter myself enough to be quite sure I am, the pain Mr Malfoy felt earlier was the strain of his body attempting to do so without the assistance of your magic."

"Child?" Harry asked, his voice coming out as little more than a strangled gasp and he swallowed forcefully with a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Both Mr Malfoy and yourself are what is referred to as Erotes," Dumbledore told him. "Erotes are very rare. Even in those who do carry the gene, it almost always lies dormant; particularly in a dominant Erote, which is what you are."

Harry didn't know what to say to this and just nodded his head to indicate that he was listening and that the headmaster should continue. He just hoped that this would all become clearer in time, and that he wasn't going to be expected to explain it to Draco when the blond woke up again; though he had got the impression that Draco might have already known some of what was going on.

"Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore went on, "is a submissive Erote. He has presumably been so since his sixteenth birthday, when he would have come into his inheritance; however, he has, remarkably, managed to keep it a secret," he explained and there was an expression on the headmaster's face that Harry was having trouble working out; it was as though Dumbledore was both worried and annoyed that Draco had successfully concealed such a thing from him.

It all seemed a bit confusing to Harry but at least the old man was giving him answers now, even if they weren't to the questions he was asking. Biting his tongue and deciding to allow Dumbledore a chance to get to the point, Harry gave another small nod to indicate he was managing to keep up so far.

"Once a month, approximately, an unmated submissive Erote will literally call for a dominant," the headmaster told him, glancing a look at Draco, whose face was still slack with sleep. "I believe it is likely that Mr Malfoy has always managed to ensure that he was a significant distance from the castle and any other population on these nights, thereby ensuring his secret remained such."

"Why would last night have been any different?" Harry asked, glancing at the boy asleep on top of him. If Draco had gone to significant lengths to keep this hidden, then Harry was definitely curious about what had caused things to play out differently than the previous times.

"It appears he did not manage to go far enough last night; though for what reason, I cannot say," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "All we know for certain is that Mr Malfoy must have been close enough to the castle for the dormant Erote in you to hear his call and respond. It is only the call from a compatible submissive that will awaken a dominant Erote."

"And that's what happened to me last night?" Harry asked, balking slightly at the implication that he and Draco were apparently compatible.

"Quite," Dumbledore said with a nod. "You did rather terrify your dorm mates when you suddenly grew huge green wings and jumped out of the tower window in the middle of the night," the headmaster told him with a hint of amusement.

"I did what?" Harry asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"Mr Weasley came to my office in something of a hurry, to tell that you had flown out the window," Dumbledore said, with hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "He did seem rather shaken. I was, however, able to locate both you and Mr Malfoy out in the grounds not far from the forest. Once Mr Weasley had been assured of your safety, I did insist he return to the tower, despite his... reluctance."

Harry chuckled nervously. He knew how Ron had a habit of letting his emotions get the better of him, and that he was rather protective of those he cared about. He hoped that Ron hadn't actually been too rude to Dumbledore, but the headmaster seemed more amused than upset, so Harry thought it was probably okay. "Ron can be..." Harry said, his voice trailing off, not quite sure how to describe his best friend.

"So it would seem," Dumbledore said, actually chuckling a little, apparently having understood anyway. "This was, of course, many hours ago now, as it took the two of you some time to return to the castle." Dumbledore gave him a slightly amused and knowing look before continuing his explanation. "So," the headmaster said, keen to get back to his explanation, "Mr Malfoy's call for a mate was answered by you and so, acting completely on instinct, the pair of you consummated your bond."

"Wait... what?" Harry exclaimed, a dark blush colouring his cheeks. He felt awkward, particularly discussing such things with Dumbledore, and a little stunned, even though he had suspected this was where the Headmaster's explanation was heading; the lack of clothing, the mention of a child and talk of dominant and submissive were clues, too obvious for even Harry to manage to ignore.

"Harry, I know this is a lot to handle, but you must understand that Erotes are creatures of love and affection, they want a family, to love and be loved," Dumbledore explained calmly. "Draco's call was as much about his creature's want for a child as for a mate."

Harry thought it was showing a great deal of restraint that he wasn't throwing a complete fit over what he was hearing, and he wasn't quite sure why he was as calm as he was, to be honest, but that was definitely a question for later, because there was clearly a far more pressing issue."Draco's pregnant?" Harry managed to make himself ask. He was glad he was lying down, otherwise he was half convinced he would have done something really embarrassing, like faint.

Dumbledore nodded. "All successful Erote matings produce a child when consummated," he explained. "Failure to do so would cause the mating to fail, which has clearly not happened. I suspect this is largely the reason Mr Malfoy has been so very determined to keep us all in the dark about his true nature."

Harry nodded; he had to concede that if he had found himself in Draco's place he would have been petrified. The blonde's cries of 'I can't believe you did this to me' suddenly made a lot more sense, as did his panic. Again Harry felt that he should have been freaking out a lot more than he currently was and wondered whether he was still in some kind of shock, or whether it was part of his inheritance.

"Oh, Draco, I am sorry, I didn't mean to do this to you," Harry whispered against Draco's soft hair. He, at least in part, logically knew that it wasn't his fault, and that if it hadn't been his Erote that had responded, then it would have likely been someone else's, but he couldn't help the guilt he felt for the situation they found themselves in.

"I know, Harry," came a soft reply, making Harry jump at the unexpected response.

"Merlin, Draco, I didn't know you were awake," Harry said, taking deep breaths, trying to slow his heart rate back down to something relatively normal again. "You scared the crap out of me."

Draco just chuckled slightly.

"I shall leave you two to talk," Dumbledore said, getting to his feet. "I shall attempt to awaken our school nurse, so she can assure us all of your continued good health." And with that Dumbledore promptly left.

The tension was somehow much more palpable when it was just the two of them alone with the knowledge of how dramatically their entire lives had changed in the space of just one night. Both of them seemed to be using all their concentration to remember to breathe properly, neither really knowing how to break the awkward silence between them.

"Draco?" Harry asked hesitantly, summoning his courage, knowing that they were going to actually have to talk at some point.

"Harry," Draco responded, and Harry was glad to hear there was some of the bite that he was used to hearing in the other boy's voice, though thankfully it still lacked any of the usual aggression.

"Erm... are you okay?" Harry asked, not having a clue where to even start. At his question though, the blond on his chest managed to push himself up enough to be able to give him an annoyed glare that spoke volumes. "Yeah, okay stupid question," Harry conceded.

"You think?" Draco sneered sarcastically, resting his head back on Harry's shoulder.

"You seem fairly calm right now," Harry pointed out.

"I think I am in shock," Draco told him after a few seconds.

"Me too," Harry responded, actually feeling a little comforted that he wasn't alone in feeling that way. It was odd to find himself in sync with Draco Malfoy of all people, but he supposed that was fortunate given they were apparently going to have a child together. A heavy silence fell over them, as Harry tried to process that decidedly weird concept.  

Everything about the whole situation was weird though, if he was honest with himself. One of the strangest things that he was becoming more and more aware of was the complete lack of animosity between them; that was definitely going to take some getting used to.

"Harry?" Draco said quietly a few minutes later, and Harry was surprised to hear something that sounded like nervousness in his voice.

"Hmm?" Harry hummed, absent-mindedly brushing his fingers gently over the feathers of Draco's folded wings.

"I am really scared," Draco admitted in little more than a whisper, but they were so close together that Harry had no trouble hearing every word. "I have known for a while that this could happen to me, but I always thought I would manage to be far enough away. This wasn't supposed to happen, I had a plan," he ranted, his voice growing in volume. "I always left the school, I...."

"I know, Draco. Sorry I ruined your plan," Harry sighed, his wings twitching and wrapping tighter around them both protectively without conscious thought.

"Actually it was Blaise and Pansy who ruined it," Draco told him, and Harry gave him a questioning look. "They wouldn't let me leave. I should have just ran and dealt with their wrath later but...." Draco sighed. "And now I have gone and messed up both our lives."

"Hey, stop it," Harry snapped, before softening his voice to continue. "Granted, this definitely... erm... complicates and well... changes things a bit, but I always wanted a family," he confessed, staring at the ceiling above him. "Never pictured having one with you and I am not sure if it is the Erote in me or whatever," he rambled, "but I find I am not objecting to this... erm... intimacy."

"That was, despite your lack of eloquence, almost sweet," Draco said, and Harry was sure he could hear the smirk on the smaller boy's lip. "Though perhaps slightly delusional," the blond added. "Do I need to remind you of the last six years of our lives?" Harry didn't like the way that Draco sounded slightly defeated and he found himself wanting to reassure him.

"Fate sure does have a funny sense of humour," Harry conceded, and then bit his lip in thought, giving something serious consideration. "Draco, I am prepared to work on this, whatever it is we have now, but if you want me to stay away from you..."

"It doesn't exactly work like that, Harry," Draco told him a little snappishly. "I literally can't live without you at the moment and nor can our child."

"What do you mean?" Harry frown at the blond; he wasn't sure what it said about him that he actually preferred the annoyed tone that Draco was using now, to the resigned one of just a few seconds earlier.

"I need your magic to help keep the pregnancy stable, otherwise it could very well kill both me and your spawn," Draco sneered. Harry supposed he would have felt pretty irritated to be so dependent on Draco, had the tables been turned, so he tried not to take it personally. "We will have to spend at least some time every day in close physical contact," the blond informed him.

"Okay, well I guess at least that will give us time to work through our issues," Harry piped up happily, trying to find some kind of silver lining that might help cheer the blond up a little bit.

Draco groaned, 'stupid Gryffindor optimism' he thought to himself. "Pregnant," he said, speaking mostly to himself. "Well fuck," Draco said, "I'm actually... no... we're actually going to have a baby." Apparently the reality of their situation was actually dawning on him.

"Yeah, I think that just about sums it up," Harry agreed.

"Oh bloody hell," Draco said, and Harry looked at him with concern when he heard the way the other boy's voice trembled. "Pregnant, getting huge, baby growing inside me, nausea, mood swings, pregnant," Draco ranted, his breathing becoming more rapid and panicked. "Oh hell, Harry, I don't think I can do this."

"Draco, just breathe deeply and try to calm down," Harry told him firmly.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!" Draco bellowed, sitting up on Harry's thighs and glaring at him for all he was worth. "That is all very well for you to say, but you didn't just have your school rival shove his cock up your arse and bugger you senseless till you were carrying his child," he said angrily, thumping his hand against Harry's chest.

"Draco..." Harry said, kind of shocked by the blond's vulgar language, but far more worried about his rising anger and not having a clue how to calm him.

"No, don't you 'Draco' me, I am pregnant, Harry and..."

"And scared out of your bloody mind. I know." That much seemed so obvious; the anger was a cover for the fear that Draco was feeling. Wanting to offer him some kind of comfort, Harry reached up and placed a hand gently on his cheek. "But you need to calm down," he said firmly, trying to keep his own voice steady.

Draco immediately felt his breathing return to normal and the tension, that had been in all his muscles, ease slightly and he was unable to stop himself from gently leaning into Harry's hand.

"What in Merlin's name did you just do?" the blond asked, looking a little shaken but much more relaxed than he had been a few seconds earlier.

"I..." Harry said, waiting to try to explain that he hadn't meant to do anything.

"You gave Draco your wish for him to be calm," Dumbledore said from where he had just returned with Madam Pomfrey in tow. "Allow me to try to clarify," the headmaster added, as the two of them made their way along the medical wing towards the young couple. "When I said before that Erotes are creatures of love and affection I may have simplified somewhat."

Harry and Draco both glanced at each other, apparently neither of them surprised that the headmaster had left out certain details. Though, they both chuckled when they realised they were perhaps equally exasperated with Dumbledore, but they turned back to the man in question a second later.

"You both have some control over some emotions," the headmaster went on, when he had their attention again. "Harry is able to exhibit some degree of control over you, Draco. This is to help him ensure your safety," Dumbledore explain, at the sight of Draco's indignant expression. "I believe he simply helped placate the panic and fear you were feeling."

"Does that go both ways?" Draco asked curiously; he had read much on the Erotes once he had found out what he was, but had never given much time or thought to how they would interact with their mate as he believed he would never have one.

"I believe so," the headmaster said with a nod. "It is likely that if Harry went into a protective rage you would be the only one able to calm him. Your wings will also allow you to have similar, though somewhat opposite, effects on others outside your mateship too; whereas the only emotions you _cannot_ influence in each other are love and lust, these are the only emotions you _can_ influence in others."

"So, we are capable of making other people fall in love or lust, using our wings?" Harry asked, not sure what to make of that. It sounded pretty weird to him, but that seemed more or less par for the whole day so far.

"Dominant Erotes are able to make those who are in contact with their feathers lust after someone," Dumbledore explained. "However, the submissive wings are far more dangerous, for they can make someone feel love, true affection for another. I must urge you both to be extremely cautious and to use these abilities wisely."

The two of them nodded their understanding.

"Well, now this is all very interesting," Madam Pomfrey said a little impatiently, "but I really must check the health of both Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy now," she insisted, as she went to fetch a curtain to go around their bed from the other side of the wing.

"Of course, I will allow you some privacy," the headmaster told her with a polite little bow of his head. "If you would both be so kind as to join me in my office later," he added  to Harry and Draco, "there are several matters we shall need to discuss."

Again, Harry and Draco both nodded their understanding, and the headmaster took his leave once more, trusting the two teenagers into the care of the school nurse.

"Okay, boys, first of all, I would like to check your wings," Madam Pomfrey said, once she had the curtain around their bed, shielding them from any potential prying eyes. "If you could sit up," she requested.

With some difficulty, given that Draco was still straddling him and they needed to remain in constant contact, Harry managed to sit up. Draco was still leaning against his chest and once Harry had unwrapped his wings from around the smaller boy, the nurse helped them both out of their shirts. Now completely naked, pressed up against each other with just the bed sheets wrapped around their lower halves, the two young men found themselves both very flushed and unable look at each other.

Madam Pomfrey, whilst wearing gloves, carefully checked Harry's back where his wings had sprouted, before checking along the structure of the wings themselves. It felt a little strange to have them handled so, and Harry took the time to really look at them for the first time as he spread them to their full length. His original assessment of them being huge was about right and he estimated they were each about six to seven foot long, giving him a wing span of about thirteen or fourteen feet; the feathers were varying shades of deep green, from almost black to a green which made Harry think of Christmas.

She then repeated the process with Draco; his wings by comparison were only perhaps two feet long. Harry thought, however, that the lack of size, at a just a five foot span, was made up for in their sheer beauty. The overall colour was what he would describe as royal purple but there were so many different shades that Harry couldn't even start to pick his favourite; he even thought that the way they shone in the light that was now coming through the large windows of the medical wing, combined with Draco's now shoulder-length blonde hair, made him look positively angelic.

The nurse readily admitted that she didn't have a great deal of information on Erotes, but confirmed that their wings seemed to be as expected and that she didn't think that there were any issues with them. However, she looked slightly apprehensive about whatever she had to do or say next.

"I understand that you will have been intimate whilst in under the influence of your Erotes forms," she said softly, and they both gave rather embarrassed nods. "Well, given that you're both male, that form of intimacy can be... problematic."

All three were clearly embarrassed by such a discussion and the two boys were deeply wishing she would just stop right there and say nothing more. No such luck though, because the nurse apparently had no intention of doing so.

"Even with proper experience and clarity of mind, anal sex can result in injury for the submissive party," Madam Pomfrey said simply. "Given your more animalistic states, Draco, I need to check..."

"NO!" Draco exclaimed, looking horrified and clinging to Harry even more tightly. "I am fine. Completely fine. No...please..."

"Draco..." Harry's voice was soft, and he really did understand the other boys hesitation; he wouldn't have wanted it to happen to him either, but he could also see Madam Pomfrey's point. "If there is any chance I hurt you, we should know about it..." he tried to reason.

"No, honestly, I am completely fine..." Draco argued stubbornly, trying to hold the sheets around his waist more securely.

Frowning slightly Harry moved his hand down Draco's back and pressed lightly against the bottom of his spine. The effect was instantaneous; Draco yelped and tried to shift away from the pressure, small tears filling his eyes, as he clung to Harry, trying to bury his face against his neck.

Harry tipped Draco's head up to look at him. "Don't lie to me, Draco," he said firmly. Things were going to be complicated enough between the two of them as it was, without lies and half-truths thrown into the whole mess.

"Please, Harry..." Draco begged.

It was nearly enough to make Harry agree, to hear the strong Malfoy boy actually plead with him, but he knew this had to happen. It was something they should get out of the way now. "I know you don't want her to do this, Draco, but it is important," he tried to reason. "Draco, you know she has to do this right?"

Draco nodded sadly. Harry wrapped his arms and wings more tightly around the young blond, somehow just knowing that Draco would probably try to lash out at the nurse as soon as she tried to touch him and nodded to Madam Pomfrey. Draco was fearful of what was about to happen, and kept his head buried in Harry's neck, his arms pinned between their bodies, as Harry used both arms and wings to hold him securely. He let out a small whimper as the nurse pulled back the sheets leaving him very exposed.

"Shh, it's okay Draco, I've got you," Harry whispered, trying to comfort him but Draco still yelped and tried to pull away when he felt a finger slide inside him.

"Okay, as I suspected, Draco, your inner walls have some damage," the nurse explained. "I am just going to put some of this healing paste on them. This will also help with the pain."

Thankfully it was quickly done and, as soon as it was, Draco moved himself so he was sideways on Harry's lap. It was a bit strange seeking comfort from the other boy, but he felt definitely more comfortable when the dark haired boy pulling the covers and his wings tight around them both. They were glad when Madam Pomfrey knew to give them some space and left.

"I am sorry we had to do that, Draco," Harry said softly after a few minutes of the two of them just sitting together, holding each other. "Please tell me you aren't in any more pain, and no lying this time."

"It doesn't hurt now," Draco told him. "It feels weird, but not painful. It is just... anyone else touching me feels wrong," he tried to explain. "When she... it was the kind of pain you feel when you feel something emotionally intense."

"Well I hope no-one else ever will touch you," Harry said, surprising himself with the truth of his possessive words. He pressed a kiss to the top of the blond's head and lay them both down, suggesting they get a little sleep before they had to go speak with the Headmaster; Draco raised no objection.


	2. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek. 
> 
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 27/11/2014)

They actually managed to sleep well, for nearly six hours according to the nurse, and had both woken up feeling much more rested. Draco had joked that Harry must have really given it his all the night before and worn himself out, to which Harry had simply asked Draco what his excuse was. Harry had given him an apologetic smile, though, when this had caused the blond to turn and glare at him darkly.

It seemed the pregnancy had settled enough by this point to allow them to no longer remain touching at all times and they had timidly separated from each other, both a little worried that Draco’s pain would return. However, it did not. This at least allowed them to eat their lunch while sitting in different beds.

Madam Pomfrey had been pleased with that progress they had made and, once she was satisfied that they had both eaten properly, gave them some new clothes to wear from the spares she kept in the infirmary. Harry and Draco, rather keen to be fully clothed once more, accepted them gratefully. They dressed hurriedly, though they found that they had to use magic to get their shirts on over their wings. Once they had worked that out, with a little help from Madam Pomfrey, the nurse had ushered them from the room, hurrying them out the door with a reminder to go see the Headmaster, not that they had forgotten.

"Professor, why can't I put my wings away anymore?" Draco asked as he accepted a cup of tea from the Headmaster before returning to his seat next to Harry. How to hide his wings had been one of the first things he had taught himself, with the help of a few books that a house elf had been able to find in the Malfoy library; it had been essential in his desperate wish to hide what he had become from the world, including his own parents.

"You will be unable to retract your wings for the duration of the pregnancy, Draco,” Dumbledore told him, leaning forward on his desk, fingers steepled as he watched the young blond. “Their wings are a great source of strength for all Erotes, strength which your growing child will need," he explained.

"Can I retract mine?" Harry asked, unable to keep the relief from his voice. "I mean, Draco's are sort of manageable, mine are a bit less so,” he pointed out; indeed, he had almost knocked over several suits of armour on their way to the headmaster’s office. “I am fairly sure I would have trouble even getting into some of the classrooms at the moment. I had enough trouble getting from the medical wing to here.”

Chuckling lightly, Dumbledore nodded. "I believe so,” he assured Harry. “Though never having had wings to retract, I am not personally familiar with the process."

"You sort of have to will them away,” Draco explained, catching the headmaster’s hint. “Though,” the blond went on, giving Harry’s huge green wings a speculative look, “given yours are nearly three times the size of mine I am not sure how difficult it will be. Have you ever done wandless magic?"

Harry looked thoughtful at that, but nodded. He hadn’t done much, and even less deliberately, but he understood the basic principles involved at the very least.

"It is a lot like that,” Draco explained, shifting in his chair enough to watch the other boy carefully as he gave his instructions. “Fold them up against your back, as small as you can and then focus on taking them back inside you." Draco eyes remained fixed on the other boy, as Harry scrunched up his nose in effort. Draco tried not to scowl at his own thoughts, finding  the sight incredibly adorable, but couldn’t help but grin with delight when the large green feathers seemed to sink into Harry’s skin.

"Wow,” Harry said a little faintly, reaching back and running his fingers over the back of his robes; he could feel the slits where the wings had been, but there was nothing but his own skin beneath his finger tips now. “That is a really weird sensation," he told them as he grinned back at Draco, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, to business,” Dumbledore said jovially, clapping his hands together and regaining the attention of the two teenage boys sat across from him. “I will be calling a staff meeting this evening, as I feel it is important we have all the staff fully informed with regards to the situation,” he told them. “I would like for them to know what you both are and about your current condition, Draco.”

Harry nodded; he trusted the headmaster to do what was for the best. He could certainly see why it would be a good idea to have the staff aware of the situation. Draco, however, looked far less convinced; Harry suspected that at least part of it was that he didn’t want the knowledge that he was pregnant to spread, but he seemed to come to a decision and nodded his agreement just a few seconds later.

 “I shall leave it at your discretion as to what you wish to tell your friends and classmates,” the headmaster went on, though both boys looked rather worried at the prospect of having to explain the situation to their friends. “However, I will caution you, that this is not something that is likely to be able to remain a secret for long."

Draco and Harry looked thoughtful; Madam Pomfrey had tried to give them some idea of what to expect, and so they knew that the pregnancy was likely to be visible within five months. It was also possible that people would figure out what Draco was before then, now that his wings would be on show, and join the dots. All in all, it seemed that Dumbledore was correct; this would not be something that could remain a secret.

"For the most part,” Dumbledore went on, “I believe you should both be able to maintain your studies; although admittedly there may be a few situations where it would be advisable for you, Draco, to not partake. I would suggest that we address these cases as they arise, on an individual basis with the professor for the relevant class.”

Harry wasn’t quite sure what situations those might be, but Draco didn’t seem at all surprised or put out by this and nodded his understanding without complaint, so Harry decided to go with it. For the most part he was happy to go with what Draco needed, given that the blond seemed to have caught the raw end of the deal in his opinion.

“Your living situations, however, we are going to have to make some allowances for,” Dumbledore said, fixing them both with a stern expression. “I believe the best way to ensure Draco receives the contact he will require, would be for you to move into shared quarters. Would that be agreeable to you both?"

The pair shared an awkward look; they had so much history, but things were drastically different from what they had been just the day before and it was clear that they were going to have to learn to be around each other sooner rather than later. Harry gave Draco a shy smile. “I think it’s a good idea, but it’s up to you,” he said, not wanting to force Draco’s hand in this. The blond looked unsure, but gave a sigh and nodded his agreement a moment later.

"Excellent,” the headmaster declared enthusiastically. “I will have rooms sorted for you and have doorways added to allow you to access them from within both the Gryffindor and Slytherin Common rooms. Now, unless there is anything else you wish to discuss I am sure your friends are all terribly concerned for your well being, and you should spend some time with them before dinner."

Draco and Harry took that to be a dismissal, so finishing off their cups of tea they bid goodbye to the headmaster and returned to the halls of Hogwarts.

Standing outside of the Headmasters office, things were once again slightly awkward between the two of them. In the privacy they of the headmaster’s office and in the medical wing, it had been easier to forget how things used to be between them, but now they were facing a reality where they would have to live in shared quarters and were expecting a child together.

"I think we should tell our friends at the same time, Harry," Draco suggested.

"Huh?" Harry asked. He had been lost in his own thoughts, desperately trying to think of something to say that wasn’t going to make him sound like a complete idiot.

"I was thinking that they will be more inclined to believe what we have to tell them if we are both there,” Draco explained, looking genuinely concerned that Harry might disagree. “And I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to explain this twice."

Harry nodded. He could see what Draco meant; even with the blond there, Harry was expecting Ron to laugh and accuse him of pulling his leg; though he couldn’t help but worry that his two best friends would abandon him now that he was so irrevocably tied to Draco. "Okay, I see your point,” Harry said with a resigned sigh, “we agree to tell them nothing and then we all meet after dinner?"

"Where?” Draco asked. “It isn't as though we can use one of our common rooms,” he pointed out. “I might be okay will telling our friends about this but it better be in a very private place; I am not ready for everyone to know I got knocked up by Gryffindor's golden boy."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle slightly at this, but gave an apologetic look when the blond glared at him. "Seventh floor corridor,” he suggested after a few seconds of consideration. “The room of requirement, where you caught the DA practicing," he clarified.

Draco raised his eyebrow at that. However, he trusted Harry enough at this point or at least trusted that the other boy would want privacy for this conversation as much as he did, and so nodded his consent. "Okay, I will be there with Blaise and Pansy at half eight."

Harry gave him a warm smile, pleased that they had reached such an easy agreement, and before either of them could think about it, he leaned down and gave the blonde a chaste kiss. Harry blushed, realising what he had just done and he was thankfully that Draco looked more stunned than annoyed.

"You really are a short arse, Draco." Harry said, with a nervous chuckle, earning himself another glare. He wasn't exactly tall himself, at about five foot nine, but he was still growing and already at least four inches taller than Draco.

"I shrank when I came into my inheritance," Draco said, and Harry thought that he really did look quite bitter about this. "Only by a few inches, but I haven't grown at all since then."

"Well does make you easier to cuddle, so I am okay with it," Harry said cheekily, giving Draco a wink over his shoulder as he headed off to go find his friends,  and Draco was left frowning at Harry’s stupidly cute bum as the Gryffindor walked away.

-#-

"Harry, where the hell have you been?" Hermione nagged, jumping to her feet as soon as he appeared in the common room, worry written all over her face.

Harry sighed, making his way towards his two best friends; he did feel bad for having been the cause of such concern but didn’t really want to be fussed over any more than he already had been by Madam Pomfrey.

"Yeah, bloody hell, mate, you scared us something stupid last night." Ron told him, making space for Harry on the sofa next to him. Harry dropped onto the seat, and Hermione sat on his other side, watching him expectantly.

"Yeah, I know, sorry about that,” Harry said earnestly, “things were kind of out of my control." He knew that it wouldn’t be enough to appease their curiosity, but he hoped it might at least ease their worries about him.

"So are you going to tell us what happened? Are you okay?" Hermione asked, leaning forward as if they were about to discuss some great conspiracy.

"I am fine,” Harry told her, smiling indulgently at her fussing. “Mostly,” he added, after a moment, wanting to be honest with them. “Definitely a little bit confused and perhaps slightly in shock, but I’m okay. And I will tell you everything, I just can't just yet." However, when it looked like they were both about to kick up a stink about him keeping secrets he decided he should clarify. "I promise I will tell you everything after dinner. We are meeting someone in the room of requirement. Okay?"

At their somewhat appeased smiles, Harry was able to relax slightly. "Now,” he said, keen to distract them before Hermione could start worrying again, “which of you wants to help me with this Potions essay which is due in first thing tomorrow morning?"

-#-

"He has wings."

"Where has he been all day?"

"Since when does Malfoy have wings?"

"Ooh, they are so pretty."

"I am sure that Malfoy’s hair wasn't that long yesterday."

The mutterings of his fellow Slytherins followed Draco across the common room. He was trying not to let the whispers bother him, and kept his expression blank as he as he walked determinedly over towards the small grouping of chairs where Pansy and Blaise were sat talking in hushed voices.

"Draco, there you are!” Blaise exclaimed suddenly, when he glanced up and spotted the blond heading in their direction. However, the boy’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he took in the sight of his friend. “What the fuck happened to you?" he asked, a little more quietly as Draco took a seat next to them, something that was made a little trickier by the wings on his back.

"Eloquent as always, Blaise,” Draco drawled, though he knew his friends would see the amusement he felt at the greeting.  “And I am perfectly fine, thank you for asking."

"Draco, you do know you have wings, right?" Pansy whispered, looking a little alarmed.

Blaise rolled his eyes and Draco actually laughed a little. "Yes, Pansy, I am aware I have wings," he told her with a hint of exasperation; it was hardly something he could have missed.

"Erm, Draco?" she asked hesitantly, still looking concerned.

"Yes, Pansy," Draco said, with the tone of someone finding the patience to deal with the questions of a small child.

"Why do you have wings?” she asked bluntly. “Or long hair for that matter?"

"It is a long story," he told her with a sigh, and ploughed on before either of them could interrupt him. "One I will tell you after dinner, when we are somewhere a LOT more private," he said, really hoping that his friends would take the hint that this was not a topic suitable for their current location.

Pansy huffed slightly, making sure Draco was well aware of her annoyance at being told to wait, but she didn't comment further and Draco was grateful when Blaise quickly distracted them both with discussions about his newly completed Potions essay.

-#-

Harry was sat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table during dinner that evening, finding it very difficult not to watch Draco; it was therefore somewhat fortune that a lot of other people were having the same problem. After all, the purple wings were hard to miss and were attracting a lot of attention and questions.

"Harry,” Hermione said quietly, “does your explanation for why you sprouted wings, jumped out a window and disappeared for half a day, have anything to do with a certain blond boy who you can't stop staring at and just happens to have suddenly sprouted a pair of wings himself?" she questioned under her breath.

Forcing his eyes off Draco, who was looking distinctly annoyed with what seemed to be a constant barrage of questions, Harry slowly turned to glare at his friend. Hermione had tried to ask him about what had happened a few times since he had met up with them earlier that afternoon, but Harry was steadfastly refusing to discuss the matter.

"Fine, I know you said you would explain everything later, but it just seems a bit too much of a co-incidence," Hermione insisted, but folded when Harry just looked even more annoyed. "Okay, okay, I will drop it, but this explanation of yours better be good."

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend’s determination, as he helped himself to another slice of steak and kidney pie. Stabbing into the pastry with his fork he returned to Draco watching, just in time to see Pansy running her hands over one of his wings. Harry had to actually fight to hold in a growl as a spike of possessiveness made his blood boil and his back itch. 'Back itch?' he questioned silently. Oh that wasn't good.

-#-

"Pansy, don't touch my wings, especially at the dinner table, nor without my permission." Draco droned as he took her by the wrist and removed her hand from his person. He was feeling rather irritable from the constant barrage of questions he had had all afternoon; it was as though everyone seemed to suddenly think they had a right to pry into his life.

"Oh but they are so soft, Draco," she cooed.

"Oh, she is right," Blaise said from his other side, now touching his other wing.

Draco growled in annoyance; it was one thing for Madam Pomfrey to have touched his wings with gloves on, his permission, and while Harry was holding him, but this was something else altogether. The blond looked, his eyes seeking out Harry at the Gryffindor table, only to realise that Harry was looking very intensely at where Blaise's hand was stroking over the purple feathers. Oh that was not good, not good at all. It hadn’t even been a whole day yet and Harry looked about ready to fly across the hall and snatch Draco away from them.

"Blaise, you _REALLY_ need to stop touching me _right_ _now_ ," Draco informed him in a deadly tone, wanting his friend to understand the severity of the situation.

"Oh come on, Draco, relax," Blaise said dismissively, as he lightly patted Draco on the head teasingly and ran his hand over the wing again. "I don't think that..."

However, they didn't get to find out what he didn't think because at that moment there was a loud roaring sound from the Gryffindor table. At once, everyone in the hall had turned to see Harry Potter, looking enraged, standing at his table with a pair of giant green wings splayed out behind him in their full nearly fourteen foot glory.

"Oh crap," Draco squeaked.

Harry flapped his wings once and used the magical currents of the room to fly the width of the hall in one leap, landing on the table directly in front of the three Slytherins. He crouched down and put his hand loosely around Blaise's neck, just enough to make a point. "I would seriously suggest keeping your hands off of Draco's wings in future, if you want to keep them," Harry said, his voice deeper and sounding far more dangerous than usual.

'Just great' Draco thought to himself, unable to resist rolling his eyes at his fellow Erote, 'day one and already he is flying into a possessive rage. Great self control Harry, why don't you just announce to the whole hall that we are together.'

As if reading his thoughts and completely missing the sarcasm, Harry growled "mine," as he turned to Draco.

Blaise’s hands were trying to pull Harry’s from around his throat, his eyes wide with alarm. Pansy, meanwhile, was staring, wide-eye as she looked back and forward between Harry and Draco alternately.

Draco sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to do something to keep things from getting any further out of hand. Getting to his feet, Draco reached up and put his hands on Harry's cheeks to make sure the other boy was looking at him. "Harry,” he said firmly. ”It’s your turn to calm down now, okay? You are making a bit of a scene."

It took a few moments, as Draco tried to do what Dumbledore had described earlier, with sending Harry calmness, but this seemed to work. Harry blinked rapidly a couple of times and his wings drooped slightly as he released his hold on a very relieved and confused looking Blaise; but it seemed to be slowly dawning on him what he had done  "Oh shit," he said softly, meeting Draco’s eyes.

"Yes, dear,” Draco said patronisingly, “oh shit." He knew he probably shouldn’t be enjoying the expression of horror on Harry’s face, but it was rather amusing.

"You're a..." Pansy tried to say as she pointed at Harry, who was still crouched on the Slytherin table, focusing on retracting his wings, which disappeared a moment later. "...but that means..." she went on, as she turned to Draco. “Oh, Salazar, that means you're..."

Realising that something had clicked for Pansy and that she was possibly about to say something they definitely didn't want announced to the Great Hall, Draco quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up, for the love of Merlin and Morgana, I am begging you to shut up," Draco told her firm commanding tone, only removing his hand from Pansy’s mouth when she nodded her head. "And Harry,” he added, turning to the Gryffindor, “will you please get down from the dinner table now that you are done embarrassing us both."

Flushing red, Harry nodded and carefully climbed down such that he was standing behind Draco, feeling rather awkward and overly aware that most of the eyes in the room were fixed on them. "Maybe we should go do that explanation now, Draco," Harry suggested, keen to get out of there and wanting a chance to explain to his friends.

"Yes, Draco, maybe you should," Pansy agreed with a glare than threatened a great deal of pain if she didn't start getting answers in the very near future.

Draco hung his head defeated. "Okay, fine, let's go," he agreed. He was really not looking forward to this conversation.

Harry looked over to the Gryffindor table, suddenly even more aware of how many people were sat watching them; he couldn't help but morbidly wonder exactly how Draco was going to kill him for this. Catching Hermione's eye, he jerked his head slightly in the direction of the main doors to indicate that he was leaving and they should follow. Apparently she got the message, because a second later she grabbed Ron by the arm, pulled him to his feet and the pair of them followed Harry and the three Slytherins from the hall.

"Harry, what the hell is going on, mate?" Ron called after him, jogging to catch up as they all reached the Grand Staircase and began to make their way up to the upper floors of the castle.

"Be patient, Ron, we will get our answers soon,” Hermione chastised, keeping pace with Ron. “And honestly I think we are going to want to be sitting down for this one,” she added in a tone that made Harry think that she might have a few ideas already about what was going on.

Harry shot Hermione a grateful smile over his shoulder and tried to ignore the butterflies of panic in his stomach. He just kept reminding himself, as they kept climbing, that Hermione and Ron both now knew that this had something to do with Draco, and yet they were still prepared to at least hear him out.

"Oi, Potter,” Blaise called out, from where he was with Pansy and Draco a little bit further along the seventh floor corridor. “Are you going to show us how this magical room of yours works?" he questioned a little impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, Zabini, just a moment," Harry said with a dismissive wave of his hand, as he Hermione and Ron caught up with them. He gave Draco a small smile, and began the fairly familiar routine of walking back and forward in front of the currently blank wall, ignoring the bemused looks all three Slytherins were giving him.

"Okay, that is pretty awesome," Pansy conceded as the door appeared.

"It should have given us a room where we can talk privately but comfortably," Harry told them as Draco opened the door hesitantly.

"Come on, Malfoy, what you so scared of?" Ron taunted as he walked past the blond and into the room, closely followed by Hermione.

Huffing in annoyance, Draco followed them inside; Blaise and Pansy shared a look with each other, but were close behind him. By the time Harry entered the room only a few seconds later they were all taking seats on the sofas that arranged in a semi-circle in front of a crackling fire. Ron and Hermione were on one, with Blaise and Pansy on another opposite them.

Feeling a little devious, Harry chuckled to himself, before quickly wrapping his arms around Draco's waist, making the blond let out a yelp of surprise, and sat Draco down on his lap on the third sofa. The blond gave him a glare, but didn’t make any serious move to get away, so Harry just smiled at him sweetly.

Ron was looking a little shell-shocked, staring at the pair of them, his mouth slightly gaping. But the others seemed to be taking it in their stride, Harry was glad to see. "Okay, quit being cute and start explaining," Pansy demanded, her patience apparently having run out.

Both Harry and Draco spluttered at being called cute, but Hermione just looked mildly amused and Blaise intoned "oh, yeah, they are just adorable," sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"Harry, why...? What...?" Ron managed to exclaim, finding his voice. "Why is Malfoy sitting on your lap? What the hell is going on? What's with wings and... stuff?" he asked, waving his hand in Harry and Draco's general direction. Ron looked like he was watching his whole world crumble in front of his eyes.

"You guys are Erotes, right?" Hermione asked her hand on Ron's arm, presumably hoping to help calm him at least a little bit.

"Did the two different sizes of wings clue you in too, Granger?" Pansy asked, smirking at  the other witch. She had always had a fascination with magical inheritances, but hadn't had a chance to see the results in person much in her life so far. Erotes had been one of her favourites, even though she hadn't been convinced that they existed anymore; until now at least.

"Yeah," Hermione said with a nod. "I thought they were just a myth though, so I don't really know anything about them," she confessed, feeling a little out of her depth on this particular subject.

"I was obsessed with them when I was a little girl," Pansy told her. "I mean, real life Cupids, every little girl's dream." Pansy giggled a little at that. "Though I am surprised you aren't freaking out, Draco."

"Cupids?!" Ron and Blaise exclaimed at the same time.

Harry and Draco exchanged amused looks; apparently their friends were not so different after all. It gave them both a little hope that this might be easier than they had first thought.

"We aren't really Cupids," Draco said, feeling the need to clarify. "Like Granger said, we are Erotes; the Cupid story was probably just based on Erotes that lived a long time ago." He didn't particularly like the comparison, but he had to admit that there was some validity to it.

"Why should Draco be freaking out any more than Potter?" Blaise asked with a slightly baffled expression, looking to Pansy for some kind of explanation, given she seemed to be the one who knew most about these Erotes that Potter and Draco apparently were now.

"Oh, he did plenty of freaking out earlier, don't worry," Harry said with a small smirk on his lips. Though, he quickly wiped it from his face when Draco punched him lightly, making the girls laugh at them.

"Will you guys stop talking in riddles and tell us what the hell is actually going on," Ron snapped a little impatiently. He couldn't get his head around why Harry was being so... affectionate with Malfoy; it just didn't make any sense to him that the relationship between the two of them could have changed so dramatically over night. "So you are Erotes, what does that actually mean?" he asked, feeling exasperated with being just made even more confused.

"It means, Weasley, that when Draco, a submissive Erote, called for a mate last night, Harry's dormant dominant Erote answered," Pansy said with a devious and amused grin on her face. "At which point," she went on, "Potter here, screwed Draco into the ground, getting him pregnant in the process and sealing their mating."

Harry and Draco were staring open mouthed at the girl by the end of her small speech, their faces flushed with embarrassment and hardly believing that she had put things quite that crudely; though she wasn't wrong which made it rather difficult to protest her words. Both Hermione and Blaise seemed to have been stunned into being lost for words too; Ron, however, was looking slightly ill.

"Well," Draco said, his cheeks still cherry red, "thank you for that most delicately put explanation, Pansy; though perhaps it was worth it to see that expression of Weasley's face," he added, taking a moment to enjoy Ron's horror, as the red-head slouched back on the sofa he was sat on. "I do hope you haven't permanently traumatised him, I am not sure Harry would forgive that."

"I honestly don't know what you are smirking about, Malfoy," Ron said, still not moving from where he was half lying on the sofa. "You're the boy who got knocked up by Harry Potter."

"RON!" Hermione exclaimed, hitting him with the back of her hand. Pansy and Blaise looked annoyed at his words, but it was nothing compared to the expression of defeat on Draco's face, the sight of which made something inside Harry snarl with anger.

Harry held Draco against him, the blond's hands curled into his robes, as his large green wings burst out his back for the second time in an hour. "You do NOT want to piss me off, Ron," Harry warned, and his best friend sat up to look at him in alarm. "And trust me," Harry added, "upsetting Draco at the moment is going to _really_ piss me off."

Blaise and Pansy were smirking slightly at Draco, clearly amused by the possessive and protective display the Gryffindor was putting on, and again his own best friend no less. Resting his head against Harry's shoulder, Draco even managed to give them a small weak smile in return.

"Well at least we know Draco is safe with him." Blaise mumbled to Pansy, who nodded her agreement and approval of this.

"Sorry, mate," Ron mumbled out, at least having the good sense to look guilty. "All just a bit of a shock and everything."

"I know, tell me about it," Harry said, as he looked down at the boy in his arms and wrapped his wings more tightly around him protectively.

"You really want this?" Hermione asked, gesturing between him and Draco. Harry was actually a little surprised when he didn't even have to think before he nodded; he wasn't quite sure what 'this' was yet, but he knew he wanted to give it a chance. Hermione, however, simply smiled and said "okay".

"Wait, so let me get this right," Blaise said, sitting up a little more on the sofa with an amused smirk on his face. "Draco basically pleaded with Harry Potter to grow wings and knock him up?" he asked, ignoring the way that Draco was glaring at him. Ron was apparently amused by this too because he was trying to restrain his laughter, though he was probably only making the attempt because he was already on thin ice.

"Hmm," Harry said, as he thought for moment, wracking his brain to try and recall anything. "Now that you mention it, pretty much all I do remember is kind of a sad cry," he said, wearing a pensive expression, "like someone was begging for me to come and make everything better."

Apparently this was too much for Ron, Blaise and even Pansy, because all three started laughing in earnest, though Pansy did try to restrain herself at least a little bit. Draco frowned and punched Harry lightly on the chest again. "You really had to tell them that?" he asked. He had been sure that he was going to be the butt of a few jokes, but he didn't think that Harry was going to help them with that.

Harry flushed slightly, realising what he had said; he had just been rather surprised that he was able to remember anything at all, and had spoken without thinking. "Sorry," he mumbled, his lips pressed against the top of Draco's head.

"I was joking," Blaise managed to say through his laughter, "but you really did beg for it. Oh that is completely priceless." This of course made Ron snort with laughter again, though the red-head shifted in his seat and coughed, trying to get hold of himself, when he spotted the glares that both Harry and Hermione were giving him.

It took a few moments more before Blaise was able to regain his calm, and wipe the tears from his eyes. "So does being an Erote come with any cool powers?" Blaise asked, having had to take a deep calming breath before he was able to get the words out.

Draco grinned at that. "Sure," he told his friend, keen to get a little payback for them laughing at his situation. "We can show you. Blaise, Pansy, come here," he instructed, and though the two of them shared a nervous, look they complied.

Harry shared an amused look with Draco, before held out one of his wings slightly, the blond still tucked into the other and apparently quite comfortable where he was. "One of you touch my wing," he said, waiting patiently for one of them to do as he had told them.

Pansy looked torn between curiosity and uncertainty; but after a few moments she reached out and  did, her fingers brushing over the green feathers. Harry focused on making her want Blaise, trying to just following his instincts, as he was not really sure what he was doing given that he had never tried this before.

However, it became quickly apparent that whatever he was doing was working because Pansy suddenly threw herself at Blaise, pushing her lips against his, knocking them both to the floor. Draco was laughing hysterically, griping onto the edge of the wing Harry had around him, as he watched Blaise's limbs flail wilding in an attempt to escape.

After a few seconds Pansy seemed to come back to her senses and suddenly pushed herself off Blaise, the pair of them finding themselves sat on the floor staring at each other in shock.

"What the hell was that?" Blaise asked, turning to look up at the still laughing Draco and smirking Harry.

"That was lust compulsion." Pansy mumbled, as she wiped her mouth off on the back of her sleeve. She found herself somewhere between annoyed and impressed; she had known roughly what the Erotes’ abilities were, but she hadn't expect for Harry to actually be able to affect her that strongly.

"That was too good," Draco declared as he wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling a little. "Thank you, Harry," he said earnestly, leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, causing Harry to turn and look at him with a smile. He kept expected the intimacy between them to feel weird, but the weirdest thing about it, was that it didn't feel strange at all.

"Did you just make him do that?" Ron asked suspiciously, eyeing where Draco's hand was still on Harry's wing.

Harry and Draco both glared at him, neither of them liking the implication.

"I will take that as a no," Ron said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I was just asking."

"We can't influence love or lust in each other," Harry informed him somewhat bluntly. He was certainly a little offended that Ron would think that he would trick Draco into doing anything like that, even if he had the ability.

"You can make people fall in love with others?" Hermione asked, sounding fascinated; she was definitely keen to do some more research on Erotes and their powers.

"Well, Draco can," Harry told her. "From what we understand, I can influence people's lust but he can influence love," he explained, repeating what Dumbledore had told them that morning. It felt as though it had been much longer than that though.

"Aww, so Draco really is a Cupid," Blaise mocked, "with his cute little pink wings and everything; that is adorable."

"They’re _PURPLE!_ Blaise!" Draco exclaimed indignantly, trying to throw himself off the sofa at his friend. Harry reflexes, however, were quicker and he caught Draco around the waist, holding onto him, as Blaise scrambled away to hide behind Pansy. "And if they are so cute, why don't you come over here so I can make you fall in love with Millicent," Draco sneered.

Blaise looked genuinely horrified at the suggestion, while Ron, Hermione and Pansy laughed. Harry rolled his eyes at their antics, a soft smile on his lips, and Draco looked very pleased with himself. This whole conversation really had gone a lot better than either of them had dared hope.


	3. Energies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek. 
> 
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 27/11/2014)

"Harry, are you coming upstairs?" Ron asked through a yawn, as he got up from the sofa to go to bed. "Or are you going to finish your essay first?"

"Oh," Harry said, as he looked up nervously, "erm, well... I do need to finish this essay but then... erm... well... I... I have a room with Draco," he explained in a quiet voice. "He kind of needs me at the moment."

They hadn't really explained to their friends how it was that their magic was sustaining the pregnancy, or talked much about the pregnancy at all really. It was also not really a conversation that he fancied starting now, particularly not when he still had the conclusion of his Potions essay to write before he could even try to sleep.

"Oh... right, of course," Ron said, though he looked a bit put out. Harry supposed that his best friend he was likely wondering just how much Draco was going to come in the way of their friendship; honestly Harry kind of wondered the same thing, but he was determined to make sure they were still okay.

"Ron," Harry said, putting his quill down and turning to give his friend his full attention. "This thing with Draco, it doesn't change that you and Hermione are my best friends. You know that, right?" He gave his friend a disarming and somewhat pleading smile; the last thing he needed on top of everything was a moody Ron.

Ron nodded sadly, "Yeah, I know,” he said; he trusted that Harry was too good a person to deliberately shut them out of his life, but that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t happen anyway. “I just know that Malfoy has to be your priority, with you know..." Ron said, kind of gesturing at his stomach, "...everything."

Harry chuckled in amusement at Ron’s reluctance to say pregnancy, though that was probably for the best, given they couldn’t be sure who might overhear. "I suppose that is true,” he admitted, aware that there were likely to be times when he had to put Draco ahead of his friends. “See you at breakfast,” he said with a wave of his hand as Ron turned and headed towards the stairs up to the dormitory. “Tell Neville to wake you otherwise there is no way you will get yourself to Potions on time, let alone breakfast," he called out.

Watching his friend disappear up the steps, out of sight, Harry turned back to the table. He knew he should resume his attempt to finish his essay, but since his conversation with Ron he was finding the image of Draco waiting for him in bed rather distracting, much to his own chagrin.

He had no idea how, in the space of just one day, he had gone from finding the blond Slytherin an annoying thorn in his side, to thinking of him as someone he would want to crawl into bed with. Though, it wasn’t as though he ever actually taken the time to consider the idea of crawling into bed with Draco before; he couldn’t help but wonder if he might not have been completely against the idea, even before everything changed; plus, those wings were damned sexy.

Frowning at the oddness of such a thought, he made quick work of scribbling a last couple of sentences; he was sure that Snape would find several things to criticise, but he didn’t care enough to actually put any more effort into it. Yawning, Harry folded the essay away, tucking it safely away before throwing the book bag over his shoulder as he got to his feet.

Harry felt a little nervous as he made his way across the common room; he had never paid much attention to this particular portrait before, but Dumbledore had informed him that it was now the doorway into his and Draco’s new rooms. "Erm... _Eros_ ," Harry said, giving the password to the portly gentleman in the picture who was dozing.

The man in the portrait opened one eye sleepily, to inspect the young man in front of him. "You are the other gentleman who will be residing in these rooms?" he asked suspiciously, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at him.

Harry nodded. "I am," he said, feeling a little uncomfortable under the close scrutiny.

"I am Sir Selwyn,” the man introduced himself, his expression softening. “You may enter," he pronounced with a sweeping gesture, and the portrait swung open to allow Harry through.

The room was dark when Harry entered and, not knowing the space, he pulled out his wand and cast lumos as the doorway closed behind him. The place was simply decorated and had a comfortable, homely, feel, which was added to by a, currently empty, fireplace. There was a sofa, and a couple of chairs arranged around a coffee table in the middle of the room, facing the fireplace, and Harry found himself glad that if they chose to, he and Draco would have space to relax together; that was probably the best way for them to actually get to know each other, after all.

There were five doorways from the room, including the one he had just come through, and Harry thought it was a safe assumption that the one next to it was likely to lead to the Slytherin Common room. Noting that there was already a small pile of books on the table between the sofa and the fire, he realised that Draco was probably already there, and he looked around, as though expecting to see the blond suddenly appear.

However, he was still alone and so made his way across the living room, towards the first of the other doors. Pushing it open, he found a small plain looking room with a single bed and a desk but other than that, it was completely empty. Pulling the door shut, he moved onto the next one along, finding a simple bathroom behind it.

Having no need of any of the facilities for the moment, Harry went to the final door. He raised his wand slightly, as he pushed it open and was able to make out where Draco was curled up in the large double bed, easily identifying him from the distinctive blond hair and purple wings; not that he would have expected to find anyone else in their rooms.

"Harry?" Draco queried, his sleepy voice drifting across the room, and suddenly Harry felt incredibly guilty for waking him. It had been a long, strange and trying day for the both of them, so he imagined that the blond was every bit in need of sleep as he was.

"It's just me, Draco," Harry called out softly; despite his lingering thoughts of Draco in bed, now that he was faced with the reality of it, he found himself rather flustered. "Go back to sleep," he encouraged, going to close the door.

"Harry?" Draco called out again, slightly clearer than before as he sat up in the bed with a puzzled expression on his face. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Erm, I was going to go to bed," Harry told him slowly pointing behind him, vaguely in the direction of the other bedroom he had seen. He wasn't sure where else Draco would have thought he might be going at this time of night.

"Don't be an idiot, Potter," Draco said with exasperation, though Harry thought he sounded a little amused too. "Come and get into bed; I need your magic remember," he pointed out.

"Oh right, of course," Harry said, a blush covering his cheeks again, as he thought about sharing a bed with the blond. He knew that the pregnancy required magic from both of them, and it made sense that they have that contact at night. "I just thought..." Harry started, but he trailed off as he came into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"That other bedroom is there, so that I have somewhere to kick you out of bed to when you inevitably piss me off," Draco told him, lying back down, as Harry moved into the room and shut the door. Harry didn't need the light of his lumos spell to tell that the blond was smirking as he spoke.

"Well I am sure that will happen soon enough," Harry conceded, as he found his trunk at the end of their bed and changed into pyjamas. Things might be going well between them at the moment, but they still had a lot of history between them and were only really just starting to get to know each other.

"Probably," Draco agreed as he rolled over to grin cheekily at him. "No need to actually try though; so could you hurry up and actually get into bed so that I can go back to sleep," he grumbled, pulling the covers around himself more tightly, something that was made rather trickier by the wings on his back.

Harry found himself momentarily stunned by the sight of Draco, with blond hair splayed on the pillow and purple wings curled up behind him. Apparently Draco saw his reaction, because he was looking decidedly smug. Shaking his head in amusement, Harry climbed into bed and, after only a moment's hesitation, pulled Draco against his side.

Draco actually sighed in contentment and rested his head on Harry's shoulder. "I had no idea how much of my magic the baby was using, I already feel much better," he admitted. "I thought that, given I spent an hour or so sitting on your lap earlier, it wouldn't be that bad."

"This is going to be a problem, if you are getting this tired after only a few hours," Harry pointed out with a frown. They just didn't know enough about their own situation to be able to make it easier on themselves, but it seemed they were going to have to do some research.

Draco nodded his agreement. "Tomorrow's problem, Harry," he said a few seconds later and within only a couple of minutes they were both fast asleep, their bodies pressed against each other's, Harry's arms holding Draco close.

-#-

It was no great surprise, given Harry's actions at dinner the previous evening, that the two of them were the talk of the school the next day; what was a surprise, however, was what people were saying. They had both been expecting a great deal of hostility but for the most part people seemed to just be curious; extremely curious in some cases and apparently several of the professors had had  to forbid the student population from discussing the pair of them in classrooms as the gossiping was getting out of hand.

At lunch, Harry glanced over to the Slytherin table to where Draco was sat eating between his two best friends; Blaise caught Harry's eye, making a show of keeping his hands off Draco, to which Harry just smiled a little and rolled his eyes. He rather liked this playful teasing they had going, and was beyond relieved that neither his nor Draco's friends were being antagonistic.

"Stupid, irresponsible, talkative..." Hermione mumbled under her breath, as she took a seat on the bench, next to Harry, starting to help herself to the food in front of them.

Swallowing his mouthful of sandwich, Harry turned to face his friend. "What happened?" he asked.

"I was trying to read, in the Library, like I do all the time," she explained a little huffily and Harry nodded his understanding, sipping at his juice. "But it was full of giggling girls trying to work out what you and Draco are."

Harry nearly choked on the drink but still managed to turn an indignant look at his friend whilst spluttering.

"Oh, Harry, they are going to figure it out, not much you can do about that," Hermione told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I mean it will likely take them longer than me and Pansy because they have fewer details to work with, but those Ravenclaws are smart; I suspect it might take them a couple of days at the most."

"Great," Harry said with a sigh, turning back to his food, looking annoyed.

"If it makes you feel any better, the general opinion around school is that the two of you were always destined to be mates of some kind and that it is incredibly adorable," Hermione told him, giving him a hopeful smile. "At least they aren't condemning either of you."

Harry nodded in agreement. "It is probably for the best that they had figured out that much at least; Draco kind of needs regular physical contact to ensure the stability of the..." Harry checked around to make sure no-one would overhear, "...the pregnancy."

"Really? How fascinating," Hermione said, looking genuinely interested.

"Yeah, fascinating, also somewhat impractical," Harry pointed out with a wry smile. "I reckon that will be a lot easier with the whole school already convinced we are together, but he is getting tired after only a few hours away from me." He nodded in the direction of the Slytherin table where Draco was yawning.

Hermione followed his eye line and could see what he meant. She hummed thoughtfully to herself. "I wonder if I can find any information about different types of contact or lengths of time for contact and how it affects how long he can be apart from you," she said, more to herself than to her friend, already getting to her feet again and wrapping a sandwich in a napkin to take with her. "I will see you later, Harry, this requires research."

Harry rolled his eyes as she disappeared out the door, sandwich in hand, a new mission in her mind. Harry finished off his own sandwich as he glanced over at Draco. The blond was definitely looking less than on top form; Blaise and Pansy seemed to be trying to talk him into eating with very little success and the blonde had actually gone as far as to rest his forehead on the table.

Pushing his plate away from him, Harry got to his feet and made his way over to the Slytherin table; he made a point to ignore the whispers that followed him. Pansy and Blaise looked up at Harry kindly as he reached the three of them, and Pansy moved over to give him a space next to Draco, in which he quickly sat.

Harry slid one arm around Draco's back and another under his knees; the blond's complete lack of protest, as Harry shifted him onto his lap, showed just how tired he had become. "Draco, you are going to have to learn to come to me when you are getting this drained," Harry said softly. The blond whimpered a little, leaning into Harry and ruffling his wings slightly. Slowly the tension began to leave Draco's body, as he revelled in the relief the contact brought.

After five minutes or so, Draco was practically asleep in his arms and Harry was well and truly sick of the numerous eyes watching them and the whispered conversations going on around the hall.

"I am going to take him back to bed," Harry told Draco's friends. "It isn't like either of us would be able to concentrate in Transfiguration with him like this anyway." Blaise and Pansy both nodded their understanding and promised to explain to Professor McGonagall.

Harry got to his feet and pulled out his wings to protect Draco in his arms from prying eyes, as he carried him from the Great Hall. He thought, as he headed towards their rooms for an afternoon nap, that it was going to be a long nine months if this was just day two. Maybe Hermione would turn something up in her research that would make things easier; he could only hope.

-#-

Harry was lying in bed watching Draco sleep; it perhaps should have felt creepy but given that Draco needed contact to have access to his magic there wasn't a lot he could really do about it. He was using the time to think; it wasn't like he had a shortage of things to think about and most of them revolved around Draco and being an Erote.

In the just over five years he had spent in the wizarding world he had learnt to not only expect the unexpected, but to also just go with it to some extent. He was trying to find the words so he could explain to others why his feelings for Draco were suddenly so different. It was proving difficult because he didn't really feel like they had changed at all, even though logically he knew they had; it was more like his perspective had shifted, as though the bond had drained the negativity from their relationship.

He still knew that Draco was arrogant and smug, spent far too much time worrying about his hair and had a mean streak a mile wide when someone pissed him off; but he also didn't begrudge him these things anymore, which allowed him, in the absence of their animosity, to see other things he had never noticed before.  Draco apparently liked to have a plan and hated not being in control, he loved to prank his friends and would laugh freely when he did so, but what had surprised Harry most was how much Draco seemed to want to be protected.

He stroked the blond hair gently away from Draco's face again; the silkiness of his hair made it fall forward again, no matter how many times he brushed it back behind the smaller man's ear. Harry smiled as Draco whined, in the cute way he was coming to know so well, and tried to move impossibly closer to Harry's warmth. Harry smiled indulgently and pulled the covers up closer to Draco's chin as he returned to thinking.

Harry allowed himself to mull over the reactions that people had had so far; on the whole they had been far more positive than he had originally anticipated. Draco's friends seemed to think that the whole situation was somewhere between brilliant and hilarious, and Harry found that it had been a lot easier being friendly with the two of them than he had believed it would be. Even Ron and Hermione seemed to have found it easy talking to them.

Hermione had not said a great deal, least of all about her actual opinion, but she seemed to be taking a 'well it just is what it is' attitude for the moment. It seemed that she was concentrating her efforts on making sure she was as well informed as possible; Harry found this oddly comforting and supposed this was because Hermione was still being her normal self in that respect.

Ron, however, was a bit more of a mystery; he had definitely been slightly repulsed by something, though whether it was Harry and Draco as a couple, Harry and Draco as Erotes, or the mental image of Harry and Draco having sex was anyone's guess at this point. He had, however, managed to laugh along plenty in the room of requirement and generally had treated Harry no differently from normal in the common room, so Harry was going to take that as acceptance of the situation until he heard otherwise.

"You look like you are thinking too hard."

At the unexpected interruption to his thoughts, Harry looked down. Draco's grey eyes were open, watching him, and there was no evidence that the teen had been asleep only a moment earlier.

"And you look like you are feeling a lot better for that nap," Harry retorted, a smile on his face. Draco certainly looked far more with it than he had at lunch, when the blond had looked ready to collapse.

Draco finally looked around, taking in their room. "When did we get here?" he asked, as he propped himself up in the bed a little. "What time is it? Last thing I remember was lunch."

Harry chuckled, feeling a little strange with the two of them sat next to each other in the bed. "Yes, well you let your magic levels get rather too low and nearly passed out at the Slytherin table," he explained. "It's about three now, so not much point bothering to go to lessons."

Draco sighed, letting himself flop back down onto the mattress. He knew Harry was right, but wasn't looking forward to having to do the catch up work. "We are going to need a better plan if this pregnancy is going to drain my energy this quickly," he said. "I mean, we don't seem to be able to be apart for more than a few hours."

"Hermione is working on it," Harry assured him, hoping that his friend's research was going well. "She ran off to the library at lunch, talking about types of contact and such."

"Great," Draco groaned, even though he really did want to know more. "Let's just hope that she doesn't recruit Pansy; the last thing we need is for the two of them to start dictating our contact with each other."

Harry's eyes widened with slight fear at the idea. "Yeah, that would probably not end well for anyone," he agreed.

"Sorry I made us miss class," Draco said after a few minutes. He wasn't really one to apologise for his actions usually, even less ones out of his control, but he knew that things were going to be complicated enough for the pair of them, without them having to find time to catch up on lessons and he had a feeling that such a gesture would earn him points with the Gryffindor.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said with a smile; Draco and the pregnancy were far more important to him than any lesson. "I guess we are in this all together anyway, whether we like it or not." Harry shrugged before lying down next to Draco, such that they were both watching the very boring ceiling. "Just for the record, I don't not like it."

"Why, Harry," Draco said with obvious amusement, "it almost sounded like you actually like spending time with me." The blond was definitely smirking, even if Harry didn't turn to see and if Draco had taken the time to look he would have seen the beautiful flush that coloured Harry's cheeks.

"Does it bother you, Draco?" Harry asked, sounding nervous. "That we can't... you know... remember that night?" he clarified, turning his head to watch the other boy's reaction.

Draco's eyes widened slightly and he turned to look at Harry, hands seemingly automatically going to his completely flat stomach. The blond was apparently giving the question serious thought as he worried his lower lip slightly.

"I don't know really," Draco said quietly, after a few long moments. "I am sure it would have been too much, for both of us, if we had woken up able to remember it all. Maybe this is the bond's way of easing us into everything. That said, I do kind of wish that I could remember the conception of our child," he explained, both of them looking a little flustered at the mention of it. "But then I remember... well... the... erm... damage," he went on. "Do we really want to remember, if it was.... I don't know...?" Draco seemed to not know how to explain any further, but fortunately Harry seemed to understand.

"You are worried that it might have been violent or you might have tried to stop me?" Harry asked him with a sad expression. He hated the idea that he might have forced himself on Draco, even if neither of them had been in their right minds that night.

"Harry, we are going to be joined forever, by this child at the very least," Draco pointed out. "I don't want to spend our whole lives with you feeling guilty for hurting me that night, so maybe it is for the best..."

"I am already feeling guilty," Harry confessed. He knew this wasn't what Draco had wanted and even though he understood that it wasn't really his fault, he still felt as though he had trapped the blond somehow.  "In some ways I wish I could just know for sure what happened; I know that is selfish and I definitely don't want you to have any memories of me hurting you..." Harry said, his voice trailing off with a sigh.

"Can we not talk about this, not right now, Harry," Draco requested. "We are just learning to be comfortable with each other, so for now it is for the best that we are allowed to work up to that level of intimacy in our own time. Who knows, maybe we will start to remember eventually."

"Maybe," Harry mumbled as he turned back to watch the ceiling; the silence between them surprisingly comfortable.

-#-

Draco was sitting reading on the sofa in their living room a couple of hours later, working on homework, when there was a tapping on the small window. He looked up from his book and spotted Harry's snowy owl pecking on the glass.

"Harry, your owl is at the window," he called out as he got up to allow it entry.

It was only a few seconds later when Harry emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a large towel, using another to roughly scrub his hair dry; Draco cringed at the damage he was probably doing to it.

"What did you say?" Harry enquired. Draco said nothing but pointed at the back of the sofa, as he returned to his seat. Harry grinned happily when he spotted the owl sitting there patiently.

"Hedwig," Harry greeted happily and Draco rolled his eyes; he had never seen someone so enamoured with their owl. "What you got for me, girl?" he asked as he removed and opened the note she was carrying and Hedwig gave him an affectionate nip. "Sorry, I don't have any food here," he said, chuckling at the annoyed look she gave him as he carried her back towards the window. "I'll get you some more treats soon," he promised her, earning another nip before she took off and he watched her until she flew out of sight.

"Hermione says she has something for us," Harry said, turning back to Draco. "Are you okay with me letting her in here?" he asked the blond, who had his head back in his book. He wanted to respect that this was Draco's space as much as it was his.

"Hmm?" Draco asked, looking up again and giving Harry a fairly blank look. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Harry gave him a weary smile but repeated his question. Draco looked pensive; he didn't see any reason to deny Harry's request, it would be likely that in time they would both have reasons to bring their various friends to the room and they might as well get used to it now.

"I suppose," Draco agreed, sounding reluctant; well there was no reason to let Harry know that he was actually completely okay with it, better to have him grateful for now in case he needed a favour later.

"Thanks," Harry said and headed into their room to get dressed quickly before he practically ran to the door to the Gryffindor common room and pulled it open; he didn't walk through it, however, instead leaning through it and calling out. A moment later he stepped back, wide eyed, to allow what appeared to be a fairly large pile of books on legs walk into the room. Draco took looked rather surprised by this, and when said books were deposited on their living room table, a bushy head appeared from behind them grinning.

"A bit of light reading, Granger?" Draco asked, eye brows raised and with a very amused expression on his face.

"These, Draco, are all the books in the library which have any real information about Erotes," Hermione told him primly. "And you are welcome." The Gryffindor girl was sounding particularly pleased with herself.

"Erm... thanks..." Harry said hesitantly, taking a seat next to Draco on the sofa and helping himself to a book from the top of the pile. 'Wing management and care' looked to be a very detailed and likely boring book about every type of wing possible, from taking care of a common sparrow wings right through to creature inheritances , like Erotes, or even magical creatures such as Hippogriffs.

"I figured that with everyone trying to snoop and work out what you are, it would be best if they had as little material to work with as possible," Hermione explained. "I spoke with Dumbledore and he gave permission for me to remove all these texts and bring them to you." Hermione was still looking distinctly smug, waiting for the pair to catch on. "They are more likely to be helpful to the pair of you than anyone else anyway."

"That is brilliant, my hero," Harry declared, all but jumping up from his seat, dropping the book unceremoniously onto the table and pulled her into a unnecessarily tight hug.

Draco discarded the book he had been reading for Charms and instead picked the next book off of the pile. "Magical Inheritances and Mythology," he read from the cover.

"While that is a fascinating read, it doesn't really have a lot of information that will be helpful to the pair of you," Hermione told him, as Harry let her go and returned to his seat next to Draco. "However, we definitely don't want some Ravenclaw coming across it; there would be enough clues in there for them to figure out far too much."

Hermione began looking down the spines of the books, apparently looking for one in particular. "Ah ha," She declared as she selected one from about three quarters of the way down out of the pile. "This one, however," she said, "probably wouldn't be of much use to someone who didn't already know what you are but has some information that I think could be helpful."

"Okay, would you care to share this information or are you going to wait for me to actually read it?" Harry asked; really he was hoping she would be excited enough about whatever it was, that she would be unable to wait for his slow reading speed.

"Yes, yes, Harry," she said dismissively, as she flicked the book open looking for a particular chapter as she continued to speak. "I am not going to wait the age it would take you to read all of this only to still remain clueless." She gave him a teasing smile that definitely took the harsh edge off her words. "This book is about magic energies and there is a whole section on transfers of magical energies through physical contact."

She had both Harry and Draco's full attention now, who were watching her hopefully as she continued to flick through.

"Okay, yes here," she told them, gabbing a finger at the page she had been looking for. "It mostly just talks about situations where these transfers occur and about how it is only possible between two bonded people; which of course explains how you are managing it. Harry didn't really tell me much, just that you seem to need physical contact for the pregnancy, which is actually one of the examples it talks about in some detail in here."

She took a seat on one of the chairs, before going on. "Apparently male pregnancies are only possible between bonded couples due to the requirement of magical energy," Hermione explained. "That magic forms a sack of sorts which acts in place of the womb which would hold the foetus in female pregnancies and it is simply not possible for the magic of one person alone to be able to take such a strain."

"That sure is the truth," Draco said with a sigh, leaning over slightly to rest his head on Harry's shoulder, even that contact being enough for him to be able to feel the tingle of the magical energy transfer between them. "A few hours away from Harry and I feel like I have been awake for two days straight."

"Well, that is where this book has some answers," Hermione said happily. "Like I mentioned to you at lunch, Harry, I suspected that there might be differences between types of contact and possibly ways of extending how long you can be apart." She grinned again at the sight of their hopeful expressions, sure that they wouldn't be quite so pleased once she finished explaining.

"Well..." Harry prompted and Hermione realised she had been sitting watching the two of them for too long.

"Yes, sorry; read these paragraphs," she instructed, handing the book over and tapping the section of text she meant. Draco took the book, and both he and Harry began to read.

**_'In the case of physical contact magical energy transfers, for the purposes of maintaining a pregnancy, the type of contact has a strong correlation with the quality of the magical energy transferred. Simple contact such as a casual touch will provide only minimal, temporary relief to the carrying partner, whilst full sexual intercourse will potentially leave the carrying partner able to maintain the child independently for as long as one, or even two, full days._ **

**_'This is due to the direct correlation between the emotional intensity of the physical connection and the strength of the magical energy being provided. This means that generally actions such as kissing will be more effective than just holding hands; however there do not seem to be concrete rules which can be applied to the effectiveness. It has been theorised that this is because the intent and expressed emotions play a large part and these are not quantifiable variables.'_ **

"Will you stop looking so very smug, Granger," Draco managed to drawl, when he finished reading, a mask of calm firmly in place. It took Harry just a moment longer to finish, but when he did, he could only sit, staring at the book wide eyed at the implications for what they needed to do to be able to properly support the pregnancy.

"Well..." Hermione said, looking highly flustered and uncomfortable as Draco glared at her, "it isn't as though the pair of you haven't already... you know."

Harry looked up at his friend in surprise, grasping Draco's hand in his own to keep the blond from lashing out at Hermione. "Well, we don't exactly remember it," Harry mumbled, before looking back down at the book, as if waiting for it to tell him what the hell he was supposed to do or say next.

"Oh. You... oh..." Hermione said, looking even more nervous and embarrassed now. Draco was still looking very annoyed and so she really wanted to smooth things over between them before she left. "Well... erm... maybe you could just try kissing or..."

"Yes, Hermione, thank you," Harry interrupted quickly, before she could say anything that would embarrass them all the more.

"I think we can work this out for ourselves," Draco said sharply. While he did appreciate the information, he didn't appreciate her meddling in his and Harry's very new and fragile relationship.

"Right, well, I will just leave these with you," Hermione said, getting to her feet and waving in the general direction of the pile of books. "Yes... erm..." she rambled, not sure what to say as she looked around, desperately not looking at the two boys who were sitting very close to each other on the sofa. "See you at dinner," she said and, without waiting for them to confirm that they would be there, she disappeared out the door.

"Well... erm... I have to ... err... homework." Harry mumbled, releasing Draco's hand and quickly getting to his feet. "I'll... erm... I'll talk to you in a bit," he said kind of awkwardly, running a hand though his hair and he headed off towards their bedroom. He really just needed some time to think.

Draco sighed as Harry shut the door to their bedroom behind him. "Well, shit," Draco said, sighing as he leaned back on the sofa.

 


	4. Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

Harry was pacing in their bedroom, cursing Hermione and her 'solution'. He and Draco had been making so much progress, enough progress that Harry seriously wanted to do many of the things that the book implied would help. Those thoughts, however, were exactly the kind of thoughts which he was trying to avoid.

Draco had said only a few hours ago that he liked how they were able to work up to more intimate situations at their own pace and so the last thing that Harry wanted was to push the blond into taking those steps, for the sake of the pregnancy, before he was ready. It was why he had left the room, needing time to clear his head before he did something he couldn't take back.

He silently cursed Hermione again for having put such thoughts into his head, as he stopped pacing long enough to glare at the door which led back into the living room area, where Draco was likely still sitting. It would be so easy to just walk back through, pin the blond to the nearest surface and...

'No,' he told himself firmly, shaking his head and starting pacing again, 'bad thoughts!' The next time they were intimate in any way, apart from the cuddling that they needed, of course, he was determined that it would be Draco's decision. Harry wasn't going to push Draco into doing anything he didn't want to do, no matter what his own desires were. He felt sure that this must have been at least in part something that his Erote instincts were pushing for and he balked at the idea of just yielding to them, especially given the reaction Draco had had to becoming pregnant.

All he had to do was distract himself until dinner, then he could have the satisfaction of glaring at Hermione for complicating his life again, even if she had been just trying to help. Though Harry had to admit that in some ways Hermione might really have helped them; at least they had the information to work with now. Even if it did add pressure for the two of them to move their relationship along somewhat more quickly than they might have otherwise.

"I don't know what to do," Harry whispered, the confession only for his own ears, as he stopped and stared at the door again. "This is just so frustrating," he said, tugging at his hair. "Should I just go and ask him about it, outright?" he asked himself.

He had to wonder if Draco even wanted their relationship to go that way; for all Harry knew, Draco might just want whatever it took to get him through the pregnancy. It was just so difficult for Harry to try and work out what the blond was doing because it was what he needed for the pregnancy and what he really desired. He had no idea what Draco wanted, or how much he was actually ready for.

Harry resumed pacing, as he wasn’t going to get the answers he wanted without actually asking Draco and he definitely wasn't ready to do that just yet.

-#-

'Stupid Harry bloody Potter,' Draco cursed silently, in his own mind; his thoughts were full of anger and frustration. He had actually let himself think over the last few days he had come to mean something to Gryffindor's golden boy, but he felt somewhat foolish now. Of course that hadn't been the case.

It seemed clear to Draco now, that Harry was probably keeping him around simply to ease his guilt; that, or Harry really wanted a family and was therefore sticking around for the child he was getting out of this. It hadn't escaped his notice that the focus seemed to be on maintaining the pregnancy and keeping it stable, though at least part of his brain knew it was ridiculous to feel jealous of the barely formed foetus of his own child.

Draco groaned and slammed shut the book he had been failing to read. His focus was so terrible at that moment that he hadn't even managed to work out what the book was about, having just taken one at random from the large pile on the table in hope of a distraction.

"None of these books are helping," he grumbled quietly to himself.

He couldn't help but wonder if the idea of even kissing him was so terrible that Harry was now avoiding him. They had already shared a chaste kiss, they had shared a bed and cuddled a lot in the last couple of days; they had even had sex, even if they didn't actually remember it. All Draco was hoping for was a real kiss.

That desire was a little galling to him, given he knew how he had felt about the Gryffindor before the last few days, but he knew how he felt now and they were supposed to be mates after all; surely a real kiss wasn't too much to ask.

Draco, however, was proud and, in some ways, it was the most Malfoy thing about him. He would not go begging Harry for anything, not kisses and most definitely not sex, no matter how appealing both of those things sounded at the moment. Draco growled at his body's betrayal, as the mental images, those thoughts created, flashed through his mind; they were leaving him flushed, uncomfortably hard and even more frustrated.

"Uh, stupid hormones," he complained.

With a somewhat defeated sigh, the blond pushed himself up from the sofa and headed into the bathroom with the intention of dealing with the problem currently tenting his trousers. He turned on the shower and stepped under the water; even if he release failed to make him feel better, he might as well be clean while he sulked.

-#-

Draco was nowhere to be seen when Harry left their bedroom to head down for dinner; he wasn't quite sure whether to be grateful or disappointed about that as he made his way out of their room, through the Gryffindor common room and headed down to the Great Hall alone. It saddened him slightly that the blond hadn't waited but on the other hand he couldn't blame him, he had left him alone for quite some time; at least this way they didn't have to talk about their feelings and everything just yet.

His eyes automatically scanned the Slytherin table as he came through the doors, quickly finding his bonded sat safely between Blaise and Pansy. Harry sighed when he realised that Draco had his Malfoy mask fully in place and it was only with practiced skill, from years of observation, that Harry was able to see how tired the other boy actually was.

Harry knew that Draco was probably in need of some magic from him, something that had slipped his mind until that moment. Therefore he was feeling guilty, for having denied the blond contact, by the time he sat down next to Ron. The two of them were sat across from Hermione and Neville, who were watching him with concern. He noticed gratefully that he could see Draco from where he was sat, and wondered if his friends had deliberately left him that seat for such a reason.

"Harry, about earlier... I am really sorry..." Hermione said, and she did look about as guilt ridden as Harry, himself, was currently feeling.

He gave her a small smile in reassurance. "Don't worry about it, I know you were trying to help," Harry told her as he started helping himself to what looked to be a beef stew. He truly wasn't upset with Hermione at this point, but this was definitely not a conversation he wanted to have over dinner.

"Why, what happened?" Ron asked, scrunching up his face as though trying to decode hidden meanings from Harry and Hermione's small conversation.

Harry had to stop himself from audibly sighing, wondering why they couldn't at least get through dinner without discussing his increasingly complicated personal life. Ron had never liked being left in the dark and Harry usually made a point of telling Hermione and Ron things at the same time when possible, but this was his personal life and he didn't feel like he should have to tell Ron anything.

"Nothing, Ron, don't worry about it," Harry said dismissively. "I am sure Hermione will tell you later if you really want to know." He actually managed to smirk when Hermione paled slightly. Revenge was sweet; now at least he knew she would be just as embarrassed, having to retell the story toRon. He was mostly just glad that he wasn't going to have to be the one to explain it.

Much to Harry's relief, Ron seemed to accept his platitudes, as the red-head's focus was once again on his food. Neville was looking confused and Hermione was glaring at him somewhat but he ignored them both as he returned his gaze to the Slytherin table. His eyes fell upon Draco, just in time to see the blond laugh maliciously at some small Slytherin girl. She couldn't be more than a second year and it seemed, to Harry, as though Crabbe was rather forcefully removing her from her seat, just so that the sixth years would have more space to spread out.

The sight of it made Harry's blood boil, his eyes narrowing to a glare. He had grown so used to the funny and affectionate side of Draco over the last few days that he had forgotten just how much of a bully the blond could be. He felt his whole body tense as he mentally debated whether or not to intervene.

Hermione apparently had seen it too. "He is just in a bad mood, Harry,” she pointed out in little more than a whisper. “He is acting out."

"I am sure he is,” Harry said with a scowl, his eyes still fixed on the Slytherins, the young girl looking on the verge of tears. “But am I supposed to just let him 'act out' every time things aren't easy for him?” he asked, turning to give her a pointed looking, ignoring the confused but interested expression on Neville’s face. “That would potentially be a lot of bullying in the next few months."

"Okay, point taken,” Hermione said, sighing and giving him a look of sympathy; it wasn’t as though she approved of Draco’s behaviour any more than Harry did. “But what can you do about it?" she asked, actually a little curious to how Harry might handle the situation.

"I will help him understand," Harry declared, getting to his feet. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do, but if he and Draco were really going to have any kind of functional relationship then he couldn’t let the blond keep taking his temper out on others; not least because it was not the kind of behaviour he would want their child to learn. “I’ll talk to you in a bit,” he said and, before his friends could do anything to stop him, he headed over to where Draco was sitting.

Draco was still laughing at the small Slytherin girl as he turned his back on her, leaving her standing alone with nowhere to sit at the table; Harry wasn’t sure whether it was that Draco hadn't seen him heading over, or if the blonde was deliberately making a point to ignore him, but it made very little difference either way.  By the time he reached the Slytherins, Harry felt like he was holding onto his temper by little more than a thread, so he was running purely on instinct when he stood behind Draco and placed a hand on the blond’s cheek.

Harry felt his anger and frustration flow out through their connection, letting Draco see exactly how he felt about what the Slytherins had been doing.Draco gasped as he felt emotions suddenly hit him as if from nowhere. He had been feeling vindictive and out of control, he just wanted to feel powerful again for a short while; bossing Crabbe around and tormenting a mini-Slytherin had been most satisfying; but the sudden shock of feeling Harry’s reaction left him slightly breathless.

With this expression of his feelings, Harry started to feel more rational again. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he began directing his thoughts in the direction of things he would have felt if he had treated the girl the way Draco and Crabbe had. He let feelings of regret and remorse resonate through the bond, things he wanted Draco to feel with regard to how much he and Crabbe had upset the young girl with no clear motivation.

Draco felt his own body trembling; as much as he had felt like he had needed to act the way he had and knew that it was much how he had always acted, the waves of remorse rolling off Harry left him wanting to take it back, wanting to turn to the young girl and make it better. It was so strange to feel Harry manipulating his feelings.

It felt like an age before Harry pulled his hand away, but they could both tell that it had only really been a few seconds. Draco had to take a few calming breaths as he blinked away small tears that had begun to form; behind him he could hear Harry trying to catch his own breath. It was only then, with the forced feelings starting to fade, that Draco truly began to comprehend what had happened and now he was really pissed off.

Draco slowly got up from his seat, turning to face Harry, who had taken a step back from him and was looking at his own hands in surprise; there was very little space between them and Draco was suddenly very aware of the extra inches the other boy had on him. He was, however, not at all in the mood to bend to anyone else's will and, ignoring the way that his submissive instincts were screaming at him, he gave Harry a small shove with both hands; apparently it was not enough to move Harry at all, though it did make Harry meet his eyes.

"How dare you?" Draco angrily demanded to know, his voice dangerously quiet and his wings stretched wide behind him. "What give you the right to come over here and manipulate my feelings?” he asked, his voice pinched, as though resisting the urge to yell. “You don’t get to decide how I live or what I feel." Draco’s wings flared out, higher and wider, as he pushed Harry again, harder this time; it was enough that Harry had to take half a step back.

Harry was a little shocked when he pulled out his own wings without consciously deciding to do so, his whole body naturally taking on a dominant stance, towering over Draco in a way that should have had his submissive backing off; this of course didn't take into account that his submissive was Draco Malfoy.

"I won't tolerate you being a bully, Draco," Harry said firmly through clenched teeth.

"No, it is only you who gets to be a bully right; even if you do save it all for me,” Draco sneered, his eyes narrowed angrily as he fought his gut reaction to back down. He was aware of his friends close by and, as much as anything else, he couldn’t afford to lose face in front of them. It was without much thought that he reached up, and somewhat aggressively, put a hand on Harry's cheek.

He ignored Harry’s expression of shock and what might have been a flicker of fear, as he tried to focus; Draco tried to make Harry feel guilty about the way he was treating Draco but all the blond could think about was how angry he was at Harry.

Harry's eyes started to widen as his mind seemed to fill with additional emotions, ones he knew were not his own. It was such a strange sensation, the two of them staring into each other’s eyes as more of Draco showed Harry exactly how he was feeling; his anger at Harry's reaction to what Hermione told them, his fear of the pregnancy, his desperation at feeling like he had no control and his frustrations of actually lusting after Harry.

Harry was struggling to catch his breath; it was overwhelming and made everything make so much more sense now he could literally feel what Draco felt. He was also beginning to understand what Draco probably had felt when he had done this to him; Draco’s anger, in the face of that comprehension, certainly made a good deal more sense to him now. Hope flared in him then and, in a split second decision, he raised his own hand and put it gently on Draco's cheek and focused on showing his emotions to the blond.

It seemed to work because Draco's eyes widened, much like Harry’s had, and his pupils dilated. As their emotions flit back and forward between them in a private, silent conversation, Harry felt Draco’s anger began to leave; the mutual understanding was beginning to strip away all emotions except for their growing lust.

It took very little time at all before they were both painfully hard and gasping for air, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world when Harry moved his free hand to behind Draco's head, fingers threading into Draco’s long blond hair and pushed their lips together.

To Draco it was like an explosion; he could feel both his and Harry's pleasure kind of bouncing back and forth between the pair of them, he could feel Harry's magical energy practically filling him up making every nerve in his body seem to hum gently. In a desperate need for more Draco gripped the front of Harry's shirt and pulled till they were pressed firmly against one another.

Harry opened his mouth as Draco did the same, their tongues exploring hastily, wanting to taste each other; the kiss was clumsy and completely lacking in grace but the passion and enthusiasm from them both more than made up for it. They seemed to synchronously decide they needed free hands more than they needed to share their emotions and removed their hands from each other's cheeks. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck as the taller boy picked the blond up off his feet, his slender legs wrapped around Harry's slim waist while they remained attached at the lips; neither of them had the presence of mind to even consider how it was that they were yet to run out of air; it felt like they had been kissing forever and yet for no time at all.

As Harry leaned him backwards, Draco used his wings to sweep plates of food and goblets of juice from the table; neither of them noticed, heard or cared as those around them scrabbled to get out of the way. The Table against Draco's back made it easier for Harry to push their bodies together, pressing his hips against Draco’s causing their fabric covered erections to brush against each other’s; Draco gasped into their kiss, a sound which quickly turned into a moan, and it sent joyful shivers down Harry’s spine.

It was a rather annoyed cough near their heads that eventually broke the moment as effectively as if they had been doused in cold water. Both boys flushed as they slowly looked up to meet the disapproving sneer of Professor Snape; Professor McGonagall was standing just to the side of the potions master, looking just as unimpressed.

"If you are done indulging your teenage hormones," Snape drawled with a tone of exasperation, looking disgusted at the sight of the two teenagers, "perhaps you would allow the other students to have their table back so they can conclude their dinner."

Coughing a little awkwardly, Harry stood back up, straightening his ruffled clothes; he held out a hand and helped Draco back onto his feet too. Harry was quite suddenly overly aware that every eye in the room was on him and the blond at his side, and that they had, in effect, just _VERY_ publically announced that they were indeed together.

"We really do need to stop making such scenes in the Great Hall," Draco muttered to Harry under his breath, trying not to laugh; he knew he probably shouldn't find the situation quite so funny, but he was choosing to focus on the shocked expressions all around them rather than thinking about how messed up it all was.

"Well on the plus side, at least we managed to get past our nerves about making out," Harry retorted with a small wry smile. He made his face impassive when he spotted the expressions Snape and McGonagall were wearing; apparently the professors were not in the mood for such jokes.

Harry chanced a glance at the Gryffindor table, where he could see Ron staring wide eyed and looking slightly nauseous, and Hermione grinning brilliantly. He couldn't help but somewhat dread the conversation he would have to have with them later about this and was glad he had already been forthcoming with them about the situation; this would have taken a lot more explaining if they hadn't known about him and Draco being Erotes.

"Potter!" Snape snapped impatiently; Draco elbowed Harry in the ribs at the same time, both of them trying to get the Gryffindor's attention.

Harry turned to them quickly, a guilty expression on his face, as he silently cursed 'Damn' to himself. "Sorry sir," he said, knowing it really wasn't wise to ignore the Potions Master, even if he had only been doing it accidentally.

"Headmaster's office, _NOW_! Both of you," Snape demanded, glaring at them dangerously as he waiting for them to comply.

Pansy and Blaise gave them looks of sympathy as the young couple were herded out of the hall by their heads of house; both Harry and Draco kept their heads down not only to appear appropriately ashamed of their actions but also to hide the amused smiles that kept slipping into place.

-#-

Harry and Draco were sat in chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk, their respective heads of house at their shoulders, when Dumbledore entered the room. The headmaster didn't seem particularly annoyed and the sight of the usual twinkle in his eyes set Harry's mind somewhat at ease, despite the tension that was hanging in the air.

"Now then, boys," Dumbledore said almost jovially, as he moved across the office and took a seat in the large chair behind his desk. "I am assuming that display was not exactly planned." Harry could almost hear the laughter in the words as the Headmaster eyed them both closely, seemingly pleased when they both blushed furiously.

"Not exactly, sir, no," Harry agreed and Draco actually snorted a little in amusement; they hadn’t even been able to look at each other before dinner, let alone think about the idea of snogging on top of the Slytherin table.

"While we do understand that the two of you have somewhat.... extenuating circumstances,” McGonagall said sternly, looking between the two teenagers, “we would rather appreciate an explanation." Professor McGonagall didn’t really sound angry or upset with them, but Harry recognised that tone of voice; it told him she wanted them to appreciate the seriousness of their actions and was in no mood for anything messing around.

"I will try to explain,” Harry told her earnest, “however, I am not entirely certain that I, myself, understand what happened.” He glanced at Draco next to him, who gave a small shrug, which Harry took to mean that the blond understood no more than he did. “I wanted Draco to feel regret for picking on some Slytherin girl. Which worked,” he added quickly, before the any of the Professors could ask anything more about that.

“I was not exactly pleased by Harry messing with my head and tried to do the same to him in return,” Draco explained. It was a bit of an understatement really, he had been furious, but didn’t think that would be a helpful addition to the current discussion.

“But it was a little different,” Harry said hesitantly, looking to the blond next to him for confirmation, smiling softly when Draco nodded his agreement. “It was more like he was showing me exactly what he was feeling, like he projected his emotions straight into my head."

"I didn't mean to," Draco grumbled. "Couldn't focus, I was too pissed off."

"Mr Malfoy, watch your language," Snape reprimanded promptly, from where he was standing and listening intently.

"Sorry, sir,” Draco said, looking abashed. “Too much time spent with Gryffindors I think." Draco mumbled under his breath, earning an amused glare from Harry.

"Most curious, I am sure Miss Granger would be most excited to help you look into this phenomenon," Dumbledore suggested, carrying on apparently oblivious to Snape and Draco's remarks.

Harry snorted; Hermione would think Christmas had come early with a research project such as this. "Anyway, Sir,” Harry went on, “when I realised what Draco was doing, I wanted to respond.”

"I see, please continue," the headmaster prompted.

“I mean, I could feel and understand what Draco was feeling, and wanted to explain my own feelings to him,” Harry told them. “So I tried to do the same thing Draco was. I focused on showing him my emotions, without actually making him have to feel them. It was like our emotions were echoing off each other’s. It was...." Harry paused, trying to think of the word.

"... Intense," Draco finished, getting a nod of agreement from Harry.

"We got side tracked, I guess," Harry said, and he ran one of his hands through his hair nervously.

Snape actually failed to hold in his amusement at this point and snorted, earning wide eyed surprised stares from the three Gryffindors and an eye roll from Draco.

"You two getting sidetracked disrupted dinner for the whole school," Snape said, quickly regaining his stoic persona.

"Sorry, sir," Draco apologised hastily, hanging his head partly in shame and partly in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled reluctantly a few second later, when Draco looked up just enough to give him a pointed glare.

"All is forgiven,” the headmaster said jovially. “However,” he went on, becoming momentarily stern, “I must insist you do not allow such a thing to happen again." Harry and Draco both nodded their understanding, and Dumbledore’s mildly amused smile and kindly expression returned. "Now, I suggest you go find your friends, they will likely want you to recount this tale for their benefit too and I would so hate for you to not have enough time to do so before curfew."

-#-

The two boys walked in an awkward silence all the way to the Grand Staircase, where they would have to go separate ways to reach the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. The two of them stopped and stood there, glad that there weren’t many other students in sight and not really sure what to say to each other after the rollercoaster of a day they had just had.

"I will see you in our rooms?" Harry asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging his shoulders.

Draco nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Assuming we can both survive the journeys through our common rooms to get there,” he remarked, not looking forward to seeing his housemates’ reactions to him making out with Harry. “Do you think Dumbledore would give us a doorway that didn't require going through a common room?"

"Unlikely,” Harry said with a wry smile. “I think he would tell us that he doesn't want to separate either of us from our houses or something; though honestly I just think he wants to watch us squirm in situations like this." Harry furrowed his brow in only half mock annoyance of the Headmaster's devious ways.

"Sadly, you are probably right,” Draco said with a sigh. “Pansy and Blaise are not going to let it rest till I give them something of an explanation about what happened this evening."

"Same with Ron and Hermione,” Harry said. “Let’s just bring them all into our rooms, might as well tell them everything at once, given that worked well last time," he suggested with another shrug of his shoulders.

Nodding his agreement, Draco headed off towards the dungeons and, once the blond was out of sight, Harry began the long climb to the Gryffindor tower.

-#-

If the complete silence when Draco stepped through the entrance to the Slytherin common room was unnerving, it was nothing compared to the rows and rows of eyes that were fixed intently on him.

Unable to move under the intense and curious glares of the watching students, Draco was very grateful when Pansy appeared at his side and dragged him across the room towards the portrait entrance to his and Harry's private quarters. He assumed that his friend was shooting dagger-like glares at the other students in the room, because many of them hurriedly tried to busy themselves, pretending they hadn't been staring at him.

"Password?" the portrait asked rather pompously when they reached it, the lady in the painting clearly annoyed that she had been made to wait for even a moment.

"Oh, right; _Eros_ ," Draco promptly told her, still feeling a little disconcerted by how closely his housemates were watching him, despite Pansy's annoyed looks around the room.

He stepped through when the doorway opened, Pansy following close behind him and he wasn't even slightly surprised when Blaise joined them only a second later, closing the door behind them. It seemed Harry wasn't there yet and Draco cast a charm to increase the light levels in the room without much conscious thought.

"So just how bad was Snape?"Blaise asked, as he stepped around Draco and threw himself into one of the comfortable chairs. "He looked very annoyed at you but that was nothing on the murderous glares Potter was getting. And nice rooms, Draco, by the way; apparently getting knocked up by boy heroes has its perks," he added with a teasing grin.

Draco promptly snatching up one of the many books still on their table, glaring at his friend as he threw it at the boy; though Draco clearly hadn't meant his friend serious harm as Blaise managed to dodge it easily with a small laugh.

"Snape was fine," Draco told them, taking his own seat on the sofa, knowing Harry would likely want a seat with him when he eventually arrived. "He seemed more amused than anything, not that he let it show. I think he was just struggling to keep his 'I'm evil' mask in place and over-compensated," Draco explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "They pretty much told us not to let it happen again."

"Wait, so you practically have sex with Harry Potter on the Slytherin table, in the middle of dinner and you _DON'T_ get in trouble?" Pansy asked incredulously as she sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Draco.

"We did _NOT_ practically have sex," Draco snarled indignantly.

"Potter pinned you to the table and ground himself against you, with his tongue down your throat," Blaise told him with a grin, "you basically were having sex with your clothes on, Draco." Blaise had to actually bite his lip then, to hold back a laugh at the sight of his friend's blushing face, the redness all the more evident due to Draco's pale complexion.

"It was pretty hot and heavy, Draco, not to mention sexy to watch," Pansy confirmed. "I was just about to start placing bets with Blaise about whether Harry would take your shirt or your trousers off first," she added with a grin.

It was at that moment that the door from the Gryffindor common room was flung open and sound poured into the room; it seemed that the Gryffindor reaction had been as loud as the Slytherin one had been quiet. Harry and Ron seemed to be almost thrown into the room, both of them stumbling backward as they entered.

"Harry was _NOT_ going to take my clothes off in the middle of the Great Hall and we were _NOT_ having sex!" Draco yelled, at the same time as the interruption. Ron and Harry both turned to look at a now fiercely blushing Draco.

"Do we want to know what conversation we just interrupted?" Ron asked.

Hermione, however, was still in the doorway, wand out and shouting. "You come one step closer, Seamus Finnegan, and you will have a lot more to worry about than just a body-bind like I put on Ginny." And with that she stepped backwards through the portrait and slammed it, shutting out the sounds of the Gryffindor common room.

"Well that was certainly quite an entrance," Blaise said, lounging back on his chair and watching the others with a soft smile.

"ZABINI!" Hermione exclaimed, clutched at her heart, having seemingly been unaware of the others in the room. "You scared me half to death." she chastised, as she fought to normalise her breathing and heart rate.

"As you did to us, with all that noise from your common room. Do Gryffindors have any sense of decorum at all?" Pansy asked, a slight sneer to her expression.

"They were rather... enthusiastic with their questions," Harry conceded, with an annoyed frown at the door they had just come through. He had known that a lot of the students were going to have questions, but he hadn't really anticipated being besieged by so many of his housemates the second he stepped through the entrance.

Ginny had been particularly demanding, and seemed rather hurt that Harry hadn't taken the time to explain it to her personally before. He had thought she had moved past whatever feelings she had for him; he just hoped that her reaction was that of a friend, and that she hadn't been hoping for something more. She had been relentless either way, and Hermione had had to step in and body-bind her, while Ron herded him across the room, through the mass of students, to Sir Selwyn's portrait.

"Talking of questions," Ron said, taking a seat  in the free chair and watching as Harry went to sit somewhat awkwardly between Pansy and Draco. "Are you going to tell us what the hell happened at dinner, mate?"

"I would rather like to know that too," Hermione said, sitting on the table next to her books as all the seats were currently occupied. "I mean, I am happy for you both and at least Draco's magic levels will be better now," Hermione pointed out with a smile.

"HERMIONE!" Harry exclaimed, giving her a disbelieving look; he wasn't sure he was ready for everyone else in the room to know but if they had caught her words they were going to have to explain what she meant by that to the others. 'I really hope they are less quick on the uptake than I think they are' he thought to himself.

'Sorry,' Hermione mouthed silently at the rather annoyed looking couple.

"Okay, now you really have some explaining to do," Pansy declared eagerly, shuffling forward to sit on the front edge of the sofa so she could look between Draco and Harry.

"Hermione found a book that seems to say that the more... intimate they are the longer Malfoy can go without needing physical contact with Harry," Ron explained quickly, "Hermione caught me up while we were waiting for you," he added when Harry gave him a 'thanks for that' look.

Harry wasn't entirely sure how he felt about Ron putting it so bluntly but supposed it was probably better than a dragged out explanation which would likely be far more embarrassing.

"So now that they essentially humped each other, Draco will be okay away from Potter for longer, he won't get as tired so quickly?" Blaise asked, sounding sceptical.

Hermione screwed up her nose in apparent distaste of his crude language but attempted to clarify. "Maybe. We don't really have any idea how long that energy with last and the text I read seemed to imply that even with sexual intercourse that it would still only allow for a day without contact, two at most."

"Honestly I don't understand why you two aren't screwing like bunnies then," Blaise told them bluntly, giving a salacious wink in their direction. "Particularly if it would make your lives so much easier. You already did it once anyway," Blaise point out bluntly.

"BLAISE!" Draco snapped, overly aware of how close Harry was, next to him. "I'll have you know we don't even remember that night; so while yes, we might have technically already had sex, but it sure doesn't feel like it."

Looks of comprehension dawned on Pansy and Blaise's faces and Ron's seemingly unsurprised expression made it obvious Hermione had filled him in on that detail earlier too.

"Well now this is awkward," Pansy said when they had sat in a tense silence for several very long minutes. "We should leave, let Potter get back to exploring the back of Draco's throat," she added in a hope of lightening the mood.

It was fortunate that she was quick on her feet and was through the doorway to the Slytherin common room before Harry and Draco could recover enough from her words to react. Laughing Blaise bid them all good night and followed Pansy; at the doorway he stopped and turned back to Harry with a smirk, "Do be gentle with him, Potter."

With that the portrait that lead back into the Slytherin common snapped shut behind him, leaving an even more annoyed Draco and a very red-faced Harry to bid good night to Ron and Hermione.

"Our friends definitely seem to be enjoying this; a bit too much for my liking," Draco growled once he and Harry were alone in their room; the two of them were standing a few feet apart, neither quite able to meet the other's eye.

Harry nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, smiling softly. As embarrassing as their remarks sometimes were, he was just glad that their friends were all teasing each other and them, rather than causing real problems.

"About earlier..." Draco started a little nervously.

"... we should do more of that," Harry finished for him quickly, and did a worryingly good impression of Draco’s usual smirk.

Draco laughed loudly. "Not what I was going to say, but I think that is a much better way to end that sentence anyway. When were you thinking?" he asked, smiling now too.

"Well I don't have any specific plans right now," Harry said, stepping forward into Draco's personal space, finally managing to look him in the eye, "so I can probably work something out for about thirty seconds from now."

"Too long," Draco declared and, plastering himself against Harry's front, he joined their mouths for their second real kiss; both of them were in complete agreement at that moment that Harry was right: they really should do this more often.


	5. Enticement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

A few days later Harry and Draco had to reluctantly admit, at least to themselves, that Hermione's research had been correct; Draco was noticeably less tired since he and Harry had turned snogging into one of their regular activities. They were both enjoying this development, but neither of them had wanted to discuss taking their relationship any further and becoming sexually active; so, by unspoken agreement, they were giving themselves time to feel comfortable taking that step.

By the following week, Harry had become rather taken with surprising Draco, pulling him into various hidden corners around to school and kissing him senseless; Harry would frequently make the excuse that it was for Draco's health, not that the blond was protesting at all. Draco was rather surprised to find that he actually enjoyed Harry's possessive dominance.

So far, much to their surprise and relief, there was no indication that the other students had managed to work out that they were Erotes, despite Draco's rather distinctive wings being on display; if anyone had figured it out, they were keeping it to themselves. Harry was fairly sure that this was thanks to Hermione's removal of the textbooks, but Draco seemed to think that it was more that the student body were too busy gossiping about the fact that two of Hogwart’s most desired boys were gay, and a couple.

-#-

"Eeeep!" Draco squeaked in alarm, as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and suddenly pulled him through a tapestry.

"See you later, Draco; have fun Potter," Blaise called out without even stopping or looking; continuing on his way to the Great Hall for lunch as if his best friend hadn't just been snatched from his side.

"You made me jump," Draco said breathlessly, pressing his hand over his heart as he gave Harry a mock glare of annoyance.

"Oh, I _am_ sorry, sweetheart," Harry said with a grin, his voice deliberately sweet and heavy with sarcasm and teasing, as he pulled Draco closer against his body; Draco relished how comfortable they had both become with such closeness to one another. "I guess I will just have to make it up to you," Harry all but purred.

Draco only had a second to catch a glimpse of Harry's salacious grin before warm lips pressed against his own. He shivered in delight at the slight buzz of the magical energy transfer and couldn't help but think that he would miss that sensation when the pregnancy was over; his mind helpfully pointed out he could always get pregnant again if he missed it too much.

He froze, stunned and completely caught off guard by his own thought process. He cursed what he had come to think of as his 'stupid Erote brain', which sometimes pushed him to submit to his mate and to trust Harry to protect him. He knew he was only just over a week pregnant, so he felt a little daft for even thinking about the end of his current pregnancy, let alone having another one.

"Erm... Draco?" Harry asked softly. He had stopped kissing the blond the second he felt something was wrong and was now looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Draco asked dazedly, blinking slowly as he looked up to meet Harry's worried eyes. "Oh, yes, sorry, I'm fine," he answered, with a shake of his head and a somewhat forced smile. "It was just an odd thought that caught me off guard. Can we just go to lunch?" the blond requested.

Harry's brow furrowed as he took in the sight of his mate, watching him calculatingly; Draco was clearly shaken by whatever the thought had been and so Harry nodded his consent. "We can talk about it if you want," Harry offered but Draco shook his head. "I won't push you to, if you don't want to, but just don't hide from me, okay?" he requested, before leaning in to give the blond another brief kiss.

Draco sighed, resting his forehead against Harry's chest. "My Erote brain was just helpfully supplying solutions to problems that aren't problems in the first place," Draco told him somewhat cryptically, as he took a deep breath to steel himself before looking back up at Harry.

Harry just nodded slightly when he realised that he was unlikely to get anything more from him at the moment. "Okay, dinner?" he suggested, offering Draco his hand.

Draco gave him a grateful smile in return and placed his hand in Harry with a nod. And so together they left their hiding place, hand in hand, and headed towards the Great Hall to go join their friends for dinner.

-#-

A little later, following their meal, the three Slytherin friends decided to spend some time together in Harry and Draco's rooms, while Harry was busy with Quidditch practice. Draco, however, didn't seem to be in a very sociable mood, and had been standing with his arms crossed over his chest and scowling at the doorway to the Gryffindor common room for the last fifteen minutes.

Pansy and Blaise were rather worried for their friend, and decidedly curious about what had caused Draco's pensive mood. However, they knew their friend well enough to know that his temper could potentially flare if they asked the wrong question, and so they had been wordlessly arguing for several minutes over who should talk to him.

"Draco, are you going to tell us what is bothering you, this evening?" Pansy asked softly when she finally accepted there was no way Blaise was going to speak up.

Draco let out a huffy breath and turned to look at his friends with a scowl on his face. "I am not just going to spend my life spreading my legs and popping out children for Harry Potter," he said decisively as he started pacing in front of the fireplace. "I am a Malfoy for fuck’s sake," he said firmly, throwing his arms in the air. "I am brilliant and if nothing else I wouldn't want to deprive the world of my talents," he ranted, not specifically at his friends but more at the world in general.

"Erm..." Pansy mumbled, sharing a worried look with Blaise who just shrugs his shoulder. Neither of them had any idea what had put these thoughts in Draco's head. "Who said that you had to?" Pansy asked gently. "Surely Harry didn't..."

"What?" Draco asked, stopping his pacing to give Pansy a confused look. "Oh, no, of course he didn't," he added dismissively, shaking his head and looking at them as though thinking that Harry would ever say such a thing was the height of stupidity; Harry was far too honourable to do such a thing. "My Erote brain just made me think some rather unnerving thoughts earlier," Draco explained.

"Draco," Pansy said patiently, getting to her feet and moving to her friend's side, "you might not have had a say in the child you are carrying now but that doesn't mean that this has to define your life." She put an arm around Draco's shoulder and moved him to the sofa, taking a seat next to him. "Your instincts won't force you to have more children will they? Not like this time?"

Draco shook his head. "No, not like this time," he confirmed, feeling a little calmer now. "Apparently we will feel a strong desire to have more children but our Erote instincts won't take over like that again... thankfully."

"Okay, so it is your choice then," Blaise told him, not really understanding what had Draco so out of sorts."You know that Harry is too much of a Gryffindor to ever make you do something you don't want to, so your life can still be what you want it to be."

"That's just it, it is my choice," Draco said, sighing and resting his head in his hands. He knew he was going to have to explain that, but he wasn't sure he was ready to admit how he was feeling, even to his two best friends. Thankfully they both waited patiently and after a few moments, Draco looked up, his eyes fixed on the lightly-glowing embers in the fireplace. "When he kisses me I can feel the magic transfer, it is all... tingly and actually feels amazing," Draco told them, mentally cursed the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Blaise asked, feeling no less confused.

"Well, yes," Draco said hesitantly. "But I had a thought earlier, that I would miss it when I wasn't pregnant."

"Okay..." Pansy said slowly, waving a hand to show he should continue with his explanation. She too was having trouble seeing the problem, not understanding what had Draco so anxious.

"We were just kissing, like we do all the time, and am not even sure where the thought came from," Draco told them, "but my mind automatically jumped to 'well I can just get pregnant again'." He looked between his two friends, but neither of them looked as disconcerted by this as he felt. "I am just over a week pregnant, which is weird enough in itself, I don't want to be thinking about being pregnant again," he said softly, leaned back on the sofa and stating at the ceiling.

With Draco's gaze elsewhere, Pansy and Blaise were able to share a look of concern. Draco was important to them and this kind of self-doubt was not at all normal for him; it was clear he needed them. As his friends, they would, of course, do what they could to keep him safe; even from his own mind. One thing Draco had always been an expert at, however, was over-thinking things and so it shouldn't have been so surprising to them that he was already getting anxious about his future.

"Draco, you need to not worry about this so much," Pansy told him, causing Draco to look away from the ceiling to glare at her. They were trying to be as supportive as they could, despite knowing their families, particularly the Parkinsons, would likely not wish to associate themselves with Draco now that he was not only technically a creature but also mated to Harry Potter.

It was possible that, when the truth about Harry and Draco became public knowledge, their friend could be left with very little and possibly in a dangerous position. Lucius was a scary man at the best of times but when angry his unpredictable nature made him a force to be reckoned with and it seemed unlikely he would take his son growing wings and becoming pregnant very well. As Draco had worked so hard to keep his inheritance from his own parents it seemed that he was all too aware of this.

However, for Pansy and Blaise, accepting Draco as an Erote had been relatively easy and they could both readily admit that it was actually pretty amazing in some ways. Granted, there were some rather disturbing mental images that came with knowing he was pregnant with Potter's child, but those they found far more troubling than the actual pregnancy or Draco’s inheritance.

"Look,” she said patiently, “you still had enough control of your mind to actually panic over the thought; doesn't it seem likely that you will always be able to do that?” she asked him. “Besides, from what I understand your Erote brain is going to be more or less obsessed with making that child feel loved, so that will keep you distracted for a fair while I would imagine."

“I think Pansy’s probably right on this, Draco,” Blaise said, nodding his agreement. Draco, however, looked unconvinced.

"Whether you believe that or not, Draco,” Pansy went on, “you still don't have to worry about that for at least another nine months or so.”

“I suppose you are right,” Draco admitted, sounding resigned.

“And, in the meantime, you have an obsessively devoted Potter at your beck and call; so why exactly are you not using this to your advantage?" Blaise asked, breaking into a wide grin, and the two friends were delighted when Draco managed a smirk in return as this suggestion sunk in.

"You make an excellent point,” Draco said, sitting up on the sofa. “It would be practically criminal to let such an opportunity pass us by." The blond was definitely looking a lot more like his usual self all of a sudden and Pansy was almost surprised she couldn't actually hear his brain forming plans.

"What do you have in mind, Draco?" she asked, keen to encourage anything that made him this happy.

"I was thinking,” Draco told them, “that a trip to the Quidditch pitch might be in order."

-#-

The weather was surprisingly warm for November, something for which the Gryffindor Quidditch team were particularly grateful as they went into their second hour of practice. Harry had been told he was allowed to retain his place as the team captain and seeker provided he kept his wings retracted at all times; he did understand their point, otherwise it could be considered an unfair advantage meaning that they would likely end up being forced to forfeit whatever match they were playing in at the time.

Having already caught the snitch twice during the practice, Harry was now hovering above his teammates, watching them play; they were actually not doing too badly, in his opinion. Ginny seemed to have finally got her head in the game at least; Harry had caught her just watching him flying several times earlier, much to his annoyance. Jimmy and Ritchie also seemed to really starting to be able to work as a team and were managing to keep the bludgers clear of the others the majority of the time.

"Hey, Harry!" Ginny's called out from a short way across the pitch, and he turned from watching Ritchie whack one of the bludgers to see what she wanted. "We have spies,” she declared, gesturing off towards the Slytherin seating area of the stands. “Unless you want your boyfriend reporting everything back to his team I suggest you ask them to leave."

Harry sighed. While Ron and Hermione had done their very best to accept Draco as part of his life now, Ginny seemed to be doing everything she could to complain, insult and moan about the blond's presence. He knew that his two best friends had been given more of an explanation than Ginny had, and he hoped that that was why she was being so comparatively difficult about it; however, he was a little concerned that it had more to do with the obsession she had had with him.

He had thought she had gotten over that years ago, but sometimes, with the way she had been looking at him since everything with Draco had happened, he was questioning that; he had made a mental note to ask Hermione about it but kept feeling foolish every time he considered doing so. He had also been considering whether he should just explain everything to Ginny but he wasn't ready to start telling other people; he didn't feel like he should have to do so before he was ready, especially given Ginny’s rather legendary Weasley temper.

Harry flew over to her, the rest of the teaming having stopped to watch the pair of them, apparently curious to see how the tension that had been growing between Harry and Ginny was going to play out. "Ginny," Harry said, once he was only a few metres from her, "he isn't even on the Slytherin team anymore, they are just watching."

Ginny made a huffy noise. "Just because he isn't on the team doesn't mean he won't talk to those who are," she pointed out with exasperation, clearly thinking him naive. "He is a _Malfoy_ ," she hissed, flying a little closer. "Harry, they can't be trusted."

Harry actually growled at her words. "You really need to get over your issues with Draco, Ginny" he snarled, turning his back on her. "Get back to practice, all of you," he instructed, watching to make sure his team obeyed before and flying over to the Slytherin stands.

"Hi," Harry said, as he reached the stand where the three Slytherins were sat, landing and getting off his broom, "I didn't expect to see you out here." He smiled as he took a seat next to Draco. "Are you sure you're warm enough?" he asked hastily, a frown forming on his face. "Should you really be out here with all the bludgers and such flying around? What if they come near...?"

"Harry! Stop!" Draco exclaimed, interrupting Harry's panicked rant. They both missed the amused expressions Pansy and Blaise were wearing; apparently Blaise's 'obsessively devoted' description was spot on. "I just wanted to watch you fly," Draco explained, taking Harry's hand and giving his mate a chaste kiss. "I am plenty warm enough and honestly your beaters seem to have those bludgers completely under control," the blond said, though he scrunched up his nose and added, "as reluctant as I am to compliment your team."

Harry took a calming breath and pushed away his protective instincts before they could get any more out of hand. "Well as long as you are here to see me and not spy for the Slytherin team, then you may stay," Harry teased with a smile, chuckling a little; he certainly didn't share Ginny's concerns.

Draco, however, made a point of looking outraged. "Spy?" he asked incredulously. "Who the hell do you think you are? I come here and try to be supportive of your place on the Quidditch team, despite the fact that I cannot even play anymore," he went on, dropping his hold on Harry's hand and crossing his arms over his chest, "and in thanks you accuse me of spying?"

If Harry had been able to tear his eyes from Draco's hurt expression, then he might have seen the way that the other two Slytherins were having to hide their faces in their scarves to keep from laughing, their eyes full of mirth. Draco, however, though years of practice, managed to hold his serious expression.

"Oh... I was joking..." Harry said hastily, looking fearful. He had been teasing, and really hadn't thought that the blond would take offence. "I know you wouldn't... Draco... I didn't mean..." Harry was stumbling over his words and hastily took Draco's hands in his own. "I am sorry, Draco," he said earnestly, pleading forgiveness. They had been doing so well lately, and he didn't want to mess it up over something so silly.

"Humph," Draco said, pulling his hands away and looking annoyed, his eye turning from Harry to watch the Gryffindor team practicing. "I thought we were past not trusting each other," he said softly, shaking his head as though sadly.

"We are!" Harry exclaimed. "I mean, I do trust you, I really do. How do I make this right?" he asked. Harry really did look like he was beating himself up and it was the realisation that he was offering to do whatever it took to fix his supposed 'mistake' that made Draco's facade finally crack, the blond breaking out into a small smirk which quickly became an amused smile.

"You sod," Harry said a second later as he realised what had just happened, giving Draco a playful shove to the shoulder. "You weren't mad at all, were you? You were just playing me," he said with a tone of disbelief and a shake of his head. He felt pretty foolish for having fallen for Draco's prank so easily.

"You are so owned, Potter," Blaise said, and he was grinning slightly madly; Harry and Draco both turned to glare at him. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a shout from out on the pitch.

"Harry," Ron called out, and Harry turned to look towards his best friend. "Are you coming back to training?" the red-head questioned.

"Yeah, just a minute, Ron," Harry responded, turning back to the Slytherins. "I have to go, before someone actually gets mad at me for slacking off as team captain," he told them, pressing a quick kiss to Draco's cheek. "Enjoy the show," he added with a wink, climbing back onto his broom and rejoining him team mates.

"You want to go back to the castle, Draco?" Pansy asked.

"Are you kidding?" Blaise said, laughter in his voice. "And miss watching Harry's arse in that Quidditch uniform? Draco would rather freeze,"  he told her with mock seriousness.

"Shut up," Draco mumbled under his breath, giving Blaise a gentle shove before turning his gaze back to Harry. The Gryffindor team captain had his back to them and was now giving instructions to his team mates; Blaise had a point, Draco thought to himself, that uniform did do wonderful things to Harry's arse.

-#-

"I don't understand," Ginny said to Demelza as the two of them walked back to the castle after practice. "I mean... Malfoy? What does he see in him?" she asked, apparently oblivious to Harry, Ron, Draco, Blaise and Pansy only a few metres behind her, the wind easily blowing her words to their ears.

"Don't you think it is kind of cute?" Demelza asked her, growing a little tired of hearing the red-head's list of complaints about Harry and Draco's relationship. "Harry seems happy, don't you think?"

"Happy?" Ginny snarled, though she had to admit that he did seem to be. "It has to be some kind of potion or spell," she insisted, feeling frustrated that she seemed to be one of the few who believed this. "He was just starting to notice me when Malfoy sweeps in and... "

"GINNY!" Ron exclaimed suddenly, done listening to his sister making a fool of herself. Ginny and Demelza both jumped a little at the exclamation, spinning around quickly and finally noticing the group behind them.

Harry was looking surprised and disappointed, with Draco pinned to his side protectively, his arm over the blond's shoulder. Draco on the other hand just looked plain pissed. Pansy and Blaise both had their eyes narrowed in anger at the female Weasley and Ron was already half way to his sister clearly ready to give her a piece of his mind.

"I'll... erm... talk to you later," Demelza said to Ginny; she had no interest in sticking around for this particular argument. She gave the others a shy smile before hurrying off in the direction of the castle.

"What is your problem, Ginny?" Ron shouted at his sister as soon as Demelza headed off. "Your obsession with Harry has to stop," he told her, crowding into Ginny's personal space, his eyes narrowed at her. "I don't even remotely like Malfoy yet I am still happy for them. Are you so selfish you can't even manage that? And they say I am the oblivious one," he said turning away from her with a wave of his hand, to look back at Harry and Draco.

"Ginny..." Harry said softly, a sad look in his eyes. He appreciated Ron's words in his defence, but he hated that his relationship was causing this kind of conflict, particularly between Ron and his sister. "It was never like that with us..."

"Oh, don't get all patronisingly sympathetic for the little girl with a crush," Ginny practically yelled, crossing her arms over her chest; she just felt so humiliated. "And definitely don't coming running back when Malfoy fucks everything up," she added. She could feel the tears building in her eyes, but couldn't let Harry, Ron or the Slytherins see them, so she turned and ran.

"Wow, she has some issues," Pansy said as they all watched Ginny running across the grounds, and through the castle doors. "No offence Weasley," she added with a quick flash of half a smile in Ron's direction.

"None taken," Ron said with a sigh and another dismissive wave of his hand. "She is... crazy," he added, as he shook his head in disbelief, hoping to clear his thoughts. He had his own concerns about Harry's relationship with Draco, but he really didn't understand why Ginny was reacting quite so negatively.

"Aren't you curious which potions or spells I used to seduce you, Harry?" Draco asked in an attempt to break the tension, looking up at his mate with a teasing grin.

"Oh, insanely," Harry said with a laugh, "but I thought it would make such good pillow talk later, I didn't want to waste it." Harry stole a kiss and winked at the blond, before letting go of him and jogging the few metres to join Ron, the pair of Gryffindors heading towards the castle.

"Well this was absolutely worth the trip out here tonight just to see Potter and Weasley dismiss Weaslette like that," Blaise told them, once the three Slytherins were alone. He knew that Harry really cared about Draco, but Ron's defence of Harry and Draco's relationship was a pleasant surprise. "The Weasley girl is quite a sight when she is all riled up," he added thoughtfully.

That had both Pansy and Draco turning to look at him like he had just grown a second head, their mouths slightly agape in surprise.

"What...?" Blaise asked innocently.

"Please tell me you do _not_ have a crush of the littlest Weasley," Draco pleaded hopefully.

"What? Err... well..." Blaise mumbled, actually blushing a little, something that was completely out of character. He hadn't really thought about it in such terms, but there was something definitely quite attractive about Ginny, particularly when she was pissed off.

"Oh Merlin, he _DOES_ have a crush on her," Pansy exclaimed, unable to help it when she started laughing. "Oh, this is just priceless."

"I so can't wait to tell Harry about this," Draco told them, breaking out in an amused grin as he started to follow the Gryffindors back up towards the castle.

"No, Draco, please no," Blaise begged, as he jogged to catch up with the blond. "You cannot tell Potter; Potter will tell Weasley, who will either laugh at me or kill me... neither of which I am a fan of."

"Oh don't worry so much, Blaise," Draco assured him, with a wave of his hand. "I thought we already proved tonight that Harry will go to great lengths to keep me happy. He won't let anything happen to my friends because that would upset me and he is perfectly capable of keeping Weasley on a short leash when he needs to." The blond was looking far too pleased with himself.

"You're really going to tell him?" Pansy asked with amusement, as she came up on Draco's other side.

"Of course," Draco declared. "How else would I get him to use his wings to get the Weaslette to make out with Blaise?" he added in a conspiratorial whisper to Pansy, as he leaned in close to her.

She was both a little shocked and impressed, mulling over what Draco was playing at. "Is this about getting Blaise laid or about side tracking the red-headed bint away from your man?" she whispered back, not really wanting Blaise to overhear.

"Can I not do both at the same time?" Draco asked, giving her a devious grin.

"Whatever you two are muttering about is going to end badly for me, isn't it?" Blaise said with a  resigned sigh. He was sure that they wouldn't actually do anything too bad to him, but that didn't mean he didn't have reason for concern; Pansy and Draco had both been sorted into Slytherin for very good reasons after all.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Blaise," Pansy said with obviously fake innocence, linking her and Draco's arms, picking up the pace towards the castle. Blaise scowled for a moment before hurrying to keep up with his friends.

-#-

"There you are," Hermione said, the second that Harry and Ron stepped into the Gryffindor common room. "What happened?" she asked, with a look of concern on her face. "Ginny came running through here in floods of tears."

Harry and Ron shared a nervous look, trying to work out what to tell their friend. Harry shook his head at Ron, as he realised there were quite a few of their housemates watching on, though there was no sign of Ginny. "Let's go upstairs," he suggested, indicating in the direction of the boy's dormitory; he could see Dean and Seamus sat at one of the tables in the common room and hoped that Neville was busy too, so they could talk privately.

Hermione frowned at that, but nodded a second later, following as her two best friends lead her up the stairs and into the sixth year boy's dormitory. Harry paused just inside the room, taking a moment to look around; it was slightly weird seeing the room now that it was missing Harry's former bed, but other than that, it looked just as it always had, and he took a seat next to Ron on Ron's bed.

 "So, what happened?" Hermione asked as she sat on Seamus' bed, facing the two boys. She didn't think that the Irishman would mind her borrowing it for a short while.

"Ginny was bitching to Demelza about Malfoy," Ron explained with a frown. "Or more about Harry and Malfoy being together, I guess," he clarified, a pensive expression forming on Hermione's face. "But she pretty much implied that he had stolen Harry from her by using some kind of spell or something."

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a nod," but then Ron called her selfish and oblivious." Harry gave his best friend a huge grin. "He was _BRILLIANT_ , Hermione," he exclaimed happily, "he told her that she needed to get over herself and be happy for me, just like he is."

"Yeah," Ron mumbled under his breath, still feeling a little conflicted about actually having defended Malfoy against his sister. "I also said I still don't like Malfoy, so don't go thinking that has changed," he added quickly, wanting to make that much clear; his words had been for Harry's sake, because he knew how much his best friend cared about the blond, not because he was happy with the situation.

"That's just it Ron, don't you see?" Harry asked, still grinning a little madly, and Ron just looked even more confused. "You don't even like my boyfriend and you still completely have my back," Harry explained as he threw his arms around his best friend. "Thank you," he said earnestly, as Ron got over his surprise and hugged him in return.

"I am sorry about Ginny, Harry," Hermione said sadly, as she watched the two boys fondly. "I was really hoping she had moved on."

"Yeah, me too," Harry said, nodding as he pulled back from hugging Ron to look at Hermione. "I just hope she got the message now though, because if she starts trying to win me over or something, Draco will not take that lying down."

"Are you going to tell Draco about what happened?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He already knows," Ron informed her. "Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini came down to the pitch to watch Harry play..."

"Actually, I think Draco came to have some fun making me squirm in front of his friends..." Harry interrupted, looking rather amused. He still felt a little foolish for what had happened with Draco at the pitch, but there had been no malicious intent behind it, so he didn't really mind.

"Anyway," Ron said pointedly, glaring lightly at Harry for the interruption, "the point is that Malfoy was walking with us back up the castle when we overheard Ginny."

"How did he take it?" Hermione asked, looking nervous; she rather imagined that Draco might be the angry jealous type, and so hoped that the blond wasn't planning to do anything against Ginny. Ron and Harry might have defended Draco against Ginny's words but that didn't mean they would let the Slytherin actually take revenge against her.

"Surprisingly well," Harry said, and there was a hint of pride in his voice that made Hermione think that he had had concerns not so different from her own. "I guess that both me and Ron telling her that she was delusional helped ease his concerns," he told her, "either that or he is every bit as arrogant and self assured as we believed and knows she is no threat to him." Harry paused for thought, before adding "I would actually put my money on the latter."

Hermione and Ron both laughed, glad that Harry was still perfectly aware of exactly who it was that he was mated to, and was actually able to have a bit of a joke about it.

"Well I guess he knows I am not going anywhere," Harry said with an unapologetic shrug. "Even if we weren't bonded and if I didn't like him as much as I do, then there is still no way I would walk away from my kid," he told them firmly with a soft smile on his lips.

"Do you have to look so much like a love-sick puppy when you talk about him?" Ron asked, looking slightly disgusted.

"Oh grow up, Ron," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. She actually thought it was sweet how much Harry and Draco had come to care for each other in such a short time; she understood that a lot of it was because of how the Erote inheritances had affected them, but she was still glad for it.

"Didn't you hear," Ron said, breaking into a smug grin, "Harry said I am allowed to not like him."

Harry laughed at that, and Hermione shook her head in disbelief, finding herself a little glad that some things would probably never change.

-#-

By the time that Harry crawled into bed a little over an hour later, there was already a half asleep Draco waiting for him. Smiling at the blond fondly, he slipped under the covers next to him and wrapped his arms around Draco, gently encouraging the blond to shuffle closer until Draco was curled up against his chest.

"Blaise has a crush on Weasley," Draco mumbled, his eyes closed as he cuddled up against Harry.

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, leaning back to look at Draco with an alarmed expression. "Please tell me that is a joke, because Blaise and Ron would be just so..."

"Not Ron, you dolt," Draco interrupted, opening his eyes and chuckling at the expression on Harry's face. However, he promptly stopped as the thought of their two best friends making out flashed through his mind. "Oh great, that has given me horrible mental images now," he grumbled, shaking his head. "I meant girl Weasley," he clarified.

"Oooh," Harry said slowly with dawning understanding, before pausing and frowning. "Really?" he asked, and Draco nodded in confirmation. "Well I didn't see that one coming. He confessed this?"

"Not deliberately, no," Draco admitted. Blaise hadn't actually said it in so many words, but he knew his best friend well enough to know it was true from Blaise's reaction. "He was also quite against me telling you," Draco said, giving Harry a coy smile.

"You so have a plan, don't you," Harry stated, and rolled his eyes. He could practically hear the cogs turning in Draco's brain, plotting various schemes, and he was just glad they weren't against him on this occasion.

"I was thinking we could set them up," Draco said sweetly, managing an almost convincing impression of an innocent person.

"Are you trying to find her someone other than me to focus on?" Harry asked fondly, pressing a kiss to the top of Draco's head. "And here was me thinking that you were smart enough to know better than to think she was a threat."

"I do know that, Harry," Draco said quite seriously, looking Harry in the eye. "Like anyone would choose to leave me," he added with a scoff, "I am incredible."

"Yes, you are incredible," Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief and laughing at the blond, cuddling him close. "Also very modest," he added sarcastically, before giving Draco a serious look. "You know I am not going anywhere, right?"

 "Yes, I know that, Harry," Draco said softly, relaxing in Harry's arms. "Does that mean you won't help me set them up?" the blond asked, turning to Harry with sad eyes, apparently surprisingly good at the kicked puppy expression.

"Now, I didn't say that, did I," Harry pointed out with a smirk. "If you think we can pull it off, you can count me in; though when Ron gets pissed about it I am telling him it was your idea," he added, knowing that Ron was not going to be at all pleased about the idea of his sister doing anything with Zabini.

"So much for being my great protector," Draco said with an overly dramatic sigh, "throwing me to the wolves... well the weasels anyway," the blond added with a chuckle.

"Absolutely," Harry declared, unrepentantly, "unless you're telling me that you think you're no match for Ron?" he asked challengingly, raising an eyebrow at the blond.

Draco spluttered and looked indignant for a moment but slowly a smile crept back onto his face. "Fine," he said sweetly, looking pleased with himself "I just hope you weren't planning on getting laid any time soon." Draco was still smirking as he gave Harry a small teasing kiss, before closing his eyes. "Goodnight, Harry," he said softly.

Harry was too stunned to speak but, as he too closed his eyes, a small smile played on his own lips as he thought to himself, 'Well played, my precious Slytherin, very well played'.

 


	6. Entrust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

Draco did not want to be found. He was sitting in the spare bedroom of his and Harry's rooms, in the hope that Harry wouldn't think to look for him there. It seemed like it should be a good hiding place; neither of them had really been in there at all since they had moved in, until now. He had his back up against the headboard of the little bed, his knees bent up to his chest and his head in his hands, looking the very height of self-pity; this was not normally something he would permit himself to feel, let alone show.

At his feet was a piece of parchment full of his father's annoyingly elegant scrawl; it was the first communication he had had from the man since Harry had come into his inheritance. Until now, he had somehow managed to push all thoughts of his father to the back of his mind.

Draco had become so good at pretending that his father hadn't given him orders, hadn't summoned him into his office over the summer and demanded that he do horrible, unthinkable things. He knew that his father had received such orders from his insane master, from the Dark Lord, that Lucius would be punished if these things didn't happen, but Draco just couldn't be part of it.

It had taken all the courage that Draco had been able to muster, but he had told his father as much, that there was no way he would do those things. Lucius had, of course, been furious, but Draco had hurried from the room and left Lucius to figure out what excuses to tell the Dark Lord.

Draco had almost dared hope that his father had accepted his refusal, but knew it had been foolish to believe such a thing when Lucius came to his room and made the same demands again the next day. They had fought over it during the following days and weeks, both of their Malfoy masks crumbling as they yelled and screamed along corridors in the Manor; Lucius determined to bring his son into line and Draco unable to comply.

His mother had wisely not commented on it to either of them, actively avoiding them both whenever their arguments broke out. Though it was unclear to Draco whether this was because she was uninterested; simply did not want to be stuck between them; or was genuinely pre-occupied elsewhere at the time. He suspected that it was a combination of them all.

Draco had not really wanted to defy his father; that was not how he had been raised and, more than that, he simply loved his family despite their many faults and dubious choices. However it was not possible for him to do the things his father had asked of him; Erotes were creatures of love, affection and emotion, and, as such, his Erote brain would not allow him to do the things his father expected of him.

If Draco had thought bowing to his father's, and Lord Voldemort's, demands had been impossible before, then it was nothing compared to now, given his bonding with Harry. And yet, here was a letter from his father demanding a response and an update on his progress, as though he had agreed to his father's orders and had been putting plans into action.

He picked up the letter again, and started to read it through once more, his heart aching at the thought of the threats and warnings it contained.

**_'Draco,_ **

**_I trust that this letter finds you in good health._ **

**_It has been too long since you last took the time to correspond with me; but I feel sure I can count on you to remedy the defect now it has been pointed out to you. I am going to choose to ignore your insolent behaviour towards me during the holiday in the hope that you have done as instructed and are progressing in your appointed task._ **

**_Failure to do so could very well lead to a far more difficult situation not only for you but also for your mother and myself. I am quite sure you wish no harm to come to your mother and therefore will heed this warning; I expect a confirmation of your actions to date by return owl._ **

**_You have one week; failure to respond will leave me with no choice but to come and speak with you in person. I would hate to have to bring you home._ **

**_Do NOT disappoint me._ **

**_Your Father,_ **

**_Lucius Malfoy.'_ **

'Do not disappoint me'?Draco sighed to himself. He rather thought that it was a bit too late for that. It was highly improbable that Lucius would consider his son getting knocked up by Harry Potter something to be proud of, even if Draco secretly kind of was. From the moment it had really sunk in that he was mated to Harry, that they were going to be a family, he had known it might cost him his parents; he supposed he had known it on some level since he had come into his inheritance on his sixteenth birthday.

But that was the other problem; he and Harry had been doing such a great job of completely avoiding the topic of the Dark Lord and the war, knowing it was going to be complicated. Now, though, it seemed that they were finally going to have to talk about the war and their places in it, and the letter gave Draco something of a deadline on that front; he had to speak with Harry before Lucius showed up at Hogwarts.

 Draco hoped that Harry really did trust him, that his mate had come to know him well enough in recent weeks that he wouldn't believe that Draco would side with his father or the Dark Lord. The blond was scared though, and knew he was going to have to trust Harry to keep both of them, and their unborn child, safe through the storm that was fast approaching.

-#-

"Oh, there you are," Harry said with a smile, from where he was sat on the sofa as he noticed Draco coming out of the small bedroom. "You left breakfast in such a hurry. We were worried about you, didn't know where you'd gone..."

"Harry, we should talk," Draco interrupted, sounding nervous. He had spend the last half an hour trying to talk himself into having this conversation, knowing that the longer he put it off the more anxious he was going to be.

Putting the book he had been reading down on the table, Harry turned to give Draco his full attention, spotting the blond's red, puffy eyes. "Have you been crying? What happened?" he asked, suddenly feeling worried for his mate as he jumped up and quickly went to Draco.

Harry opened his arms, and wrapped the blond up securely in them; Draco leaned his head on Harry's shoulder, as the taller boy pressed a small kiss to the top of his hair. The blond sighed in contentment, as he felt the brush of Harry's wings against his own; he hadn't even seen his mate pull them out, but somehow being surrounded that curtain of green feathers made him breathe easier.

"I got a letter," Draco said quietly, continuing to lean against Harry as he raised the hand which was holding the parchment, to show it to Harry, who just looked confused. "It is from my father," he clarified.

Harry tensed. "Oh..." he said slowly, "I'm not going to like this am I?" He hadn't really considered what Draco's parents might have to say about their relationship.

"Probably not," Draco admitted with a sigh before looking up at Harry; even in the shadows cast by the huge feathers around them, he could see the concern in his eyes. "Can we sit down?"

"Sure," Harry agreed, unwrapping his wings from around them, pulling them back in with a little effort. He held out his hand, which Draco took and lead him the few feet to their sofa, pulling the blond against his side when they sat down.

"Can I read it?" Harry asked hesitantly; he was burning with curiosity to know what Lucius Malfoy had to say to Draco. The blond didn't even need to think before he handed over the letter and Harry couldn't help but smile at this display of complete trust.

Harry braced himself, worried about what the letter could contain to have made Draco so upset, and read quickly; Draco watched as Harry's brow became more and more creased in what looked to be annoyance.

"What has he asked you to do, Draco?" Harry asked as calmly as he could few minutes later when he had read it through a couple of times. He was genuinely quite concerned about what it might be that Lucius had asked Draco to do.

"He... You-know-who ordered him to get me to... " Draco started to say, but he lost his nerve. He bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath trying to calm himself; Harry was still watching him patiently and Draco did want to tell him the truth, but if was more difficult than he had anticipated. "He instructed me to kill Dumbledore," he admitted quietly, but at the look of complete horror on Harry's face he hurried on. "But I told him I couldn't, that I wouldn't. He was so angry and I hid from him for most of the summer... but..."

"Your Erote would never let you kill," Harry said, a confused frown on his face. He hadn't yet managed to read many of the books Hermione had brought to their room, but that was something that he had seen a few references to and seemed to be one of the better known facts about Erotes; it made very little sense to him that Lucius would expect something so impossible of Draco. But a few seconds later it dawned on him."He doesn't know what you are, does he?"

Draco shook his head. "He has no idea. I don't think telling him would have ended well for me," he explained sadly. There had been many times in those first few months that he wished he had been able to go to his parents for support, but he hadn't dared.

"And so he still believes you will try to kill Dumbledore?" Harry asked slowly; he was glad that Draco had come to him about this but they were going have to think carefully about how they were going to manage the situation. They both knew that Lucius Malfoy wasn't a man to mess with.

Draco nodded; he had done everything he could think of to make it clear to his father that he was never going to try and kill Dumbledore, but it was evident from the letter than the man hadn't listened. "Honestly Harry," Draco said a little sadly, cuddling into his mate's side, as though Harry might be able to protect him from the very thought, "if I wasn't an Erote or bonded with you..."

"You would have done it?" Harry asked looking slightly sick. He didn't want to believe that.

"I wouldn't have wanted to," Draco insisted, looking at Harry with wide apologetic eyes, begging him to understand. "I mean they are my parents; my father might have brought this upon himself, but my mother was never given a choice." Draco was starting to look hysterical again. "Who knows what the Dark Lord will do to them."

"Hey, hey... calm down," Harry said, wrapping his arms around Draco. He wasn't happy that, under different circumstances, Draco might have actually tried to do what his father had asked, even though he did kind of understand, but there was no point dwelling on things that would never be and even less point arguing over them.

"I'm sorry," Draco said earnestly; he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologising for, but he felt he needed to and he was glad he had, when he felt Harry hold onto him a little tighter. "I don't know what I am going to tell my father," he said after a few moments, hoping that Harry would be able to come up with some kind of plan.

"We'll figure it out," Harry promised, as his eyes scanned the letter again. "In the meantime we wait; Lucius Malfoy can think what he wants but he will not be taking you anywhere."

Draco nodded gratefully; not only would he not want to be parted from Harry now, he also would never trust his father with the safety of their unborn child. "What about my mother?" Draco asked, giving Harry a pleading look.

"I don't know, Draco," Harry told him, "but if you think there is a chance she will take your side over your father's, then we should probably talk to Dumbledore; we need to get her somewhere safe before your father shows up here and you have to show that your loyalties are not with him." Harry gave him a small smile; he genuinely hoped that they could help Draco's mother.

"This is dangerous, Harry," Draco pointed out. "If it is known, even within the school, that I am loyal to you..."

"Draco, dear," Harry said with an amused smirk, "do you not think it was slightly obvious, to everyone, that you were loyal to me when you started sticking your tongue down my throat on a regular basis?" he asked, looking decidedly smug.

Draco scowled, trying to look annoyed, but the amusement in his eyes made him fall short. "Well I suppose you have a point," he admitted. "However, there is a difference between being seen with you and refusing my father. I am sure at least some are assuming that I am manipulating you, or vice versa," Draco pointed out, nervously biting his lip.

"Stop that," Harry said, leaning in and kissing Draco softly in an attempt to save the lip from further abuse. "It will be okay, trust me. I wouldn't let anything happen to my family, either of you," he promised, placing a hand gently on Draco's belly.

"I trust you," Draco told him seriously, placing his own hands over Harry's. "I put our lives in your hands."

-#-

"Professor!" Harry called out after Dumbledore, as he saw the headmaster leaving the Great Hall at breakfast the next day. "Professor Dumbledore!"

The old man turned around and smiled at the dark haired teen, who was jogging to catch up with him, managing to do so near the doors to the Great Hall. "Harry, is there something I can do for you, my boy?" he asked jovially.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, smiling in return. "Though it might be better if we talked somewhere a bit more... private." There was no one else close to them at that moment, but it would be far too easy for someone to overhear them if they happened to enter or leave the hall.

"Very well," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Is this something you would like to discuss now, before classes begin, or would a longer conversation this evening be preferable?"

Harry thought for a moment; he had planned to just speak with Dumbledore quickly, find out if there was anything he could do for Narcissa, but now he was thinking that a proper conversation might be a good idea. "I am not sure, sir, but maybe this evening would be better. Draco will probably want to join us too, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, my boy," the headmaster said, giving him another smile. "This is, as they say, your party."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, feeling a bit awkward just standing there in the doorway to the Great Hall with the old man, with nothing more to say to each other. "I am just going to go finish my breakfast now," he said, gesturing towards the Gryffindor table rather vaguely, as though the man wouldn't know where he meant.

"As you wish, Harry," Dumbledore said, still smiling genially, as he gave Harry a small nod and left the hall.

Harry shook his head in amusement as he headed back to the table; Dumbledore might be a genius but really he was also very strange. Hermione gave Harry a questioning look as he sat back down in his seat next to her.

"What was that about, mate?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Just arranging to meet Dumbledore this evening; Draco and I have something we want to talk to him about," Harry told them with a shrug; as much as he trusted his two best friends, this was really Draco's business and, at least until they had a plan, it would be best to keep it that way. "Not now, okay?" Harry added when neither of his best friends dropped their curious expressions.

Finally appeased, it seemed, at least for a short while, Hermione returned to the book she was reading. Ron took a moment longer, which he spent looking at Harry with concern before he returned his attention to the food in front of his. Harry almost chuckled with fond amusement; sometimes the pair of them were just too predictable.

-#-

"So what did Dumbledore say?" Draco asked Harry in a whisper, as he joined him at their desk in the potions classroom just in time for Snape to start the lesson.

"I have a meeting with him at the end of the day," Harry informed him quietly under his breath, not wanting Snape to realise that they were talking over his introduction to the lesson. "I told him you might be joining us. Are you?"

Draco nodded. "I would like to," he answered, giving Harry a warm smile. He really felt he wanted to be involved in any plans that Harry and the headmaster might make, given that Harry was his family now; particularly if those plans were regarding what they could do for his mother. As much as he trusted Harry, this was not something he wanted his mate to deal with without him.

"Good," Harry said, smiling back and leaning just a little closer to Draco. "You left early this morning," he added, his eye fixed on the front of the room, making a point of pretending to listen to whatever Snape was saying. "Missed our morning kisses," he added glancing at Draco quickly, with a smirk and a wink.

Draco kicked him gently in the shin under the table. "I went to show Pansy and Blaise the letter." After talking with Harry about it the previous day, he had decided to be open with his two best friends about what was going on, knowing that he was likely going to need all the support he could get.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, looking worried, not even bothering to pretending to pay attention to the professor now.

"Yes, I'm fine," Draco assure him, rolling his eyes at Harry's over-protectiveness. "I am sure I can manage until lunch without your magic, Harry."

"I meant about the letter and everything," Harry said with a tone of exasperation, he didn't think that going over it all again with Pansy and Blaise could have been easy for the blond. "But that too," he added, realising that they really hadn't shared much energy that day.  Harry nudged him with his knee. "Just let me know if you are feeling tired, okay?" he requested, not wanting Draco to get too run down.

Draco rolled his eyes affectionately again, but then gave Harry a small nod. He had grown accustomed to having the energy that their morning kisses and cuddles gave him, and he was definitely feeling a lot more drained than he was used to. He was okay for the moment, but he was probably going to need a few moments alone with his mate before they went to their next class.

"So what is the next step we must take, Mr Potter?" Snape asked, knowing full well that Harry and Draco had been far too busy talking to each other to pay the slightest bit of attention to anything he had said so far.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, looking bashful as several other students turned to look his way, and Snape's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Sorry, sir," he added, and he had to force himself to keep a straight face, as he could see Draco smirking slightly beside him, probably knowing exactly what the answer was despite the conversation they had been carrying on.

"Indeed, perhaps you should spend a little more time listening to your professors and less time corrupting your Slytherin classmates," Snape sneered at Harry, before turning his stern gaze to Draco, who blushed furiously. "That way when you do attempt to brew this potion you might stand some chance of _not_ blowing us all up," he went on, as several students tried to hide their own amusement at Harry and Draco having been caught not paying attention.

Luckily for Harry it was only a theory lesson, preparing them for the next class, and he would have plenty of time before the practical to catch up on the bits that he had missed; hopefully Draco would agree to help him with that. The two of them had mostly stuck to each doing their homework in their own common rooms, with their own friends, but Draco was particularly good at potions and Harry knew from past experience that he could definitely use some more expert guidance, like that which Draco would likely be able to offer.

The two of them did try to pay more attention to what Snape was telling them now though, because they did at least need to know what it was they were going to be expected to know how to brew in the next class; not to mention that Snape was watching them like a hawk.

-#-

About an hour into the lesson when they were all making notes from the textbook, Harry nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt the bare toes of one of Draco's feet creeping up the bottom of his trousers, to rub against one of his legs. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from making a noise of surprise and, not daring to speak in the almost completely silent classroom, he settled for giving Draco a questioning look but the second he looked over at his mate he could see the exhaustion written all over the blond's face.

Harry sighed, realising that despite Draco reassurances earlier, the blond wasn't going to make it to lunch without a transfer of some of his magic energy; Draco looked half ready to fall asleep already. Nervously, Harry glanced towards the front of the room to where Snape was sat behind his desk leaning over a stack of papers.

Looking around to make sure that none of their classmates were looking their way, Harry kicked off one of his shoes and sock; teasingly he ran his toes over Draco's, earning himself a pleased sigh from the boy next to him. It was surprisingly difficult to keep making notes about the reactions between different ingredients when Draco was so good at finding surprisingly sensual ways to play footsie; at one point Harry had to actually bite his lip to stop a moan from escaping, resting his forehead against the desk.

"Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy..." Snape was suddenly right behind them, leaning forward to practically whisper in their ears, making both sit up very straight and still; Harry almost laughed when Draco's toes grip his in a show of support.

"I sincerely hope you are not playing inappropriate games under the table during my lesson," the potion master said slowly, his voice dangerously quiet.

"No, Sir," Harry said quickly, but promptly realised that lying to Snape was most likely a very bad idea. "Well,... yes, sir...," he correct himself. "I mean, we were, but..." he tried to explain.

"I have very little patience for your ramblings today, Mr Potter," Snape interrupted, his arms crossed over his chest as he straightened up and narrowed his eyes at the pair of them.

"I needed Harry's magic energy, sir," Draco told the potions master calmly, turning on his seat to face Snape. "I was feeling so drained that I was about to fall asleep and this was the only way I could keep going. I rather thought you would find this to be the lesser of two evils," the blond said seriously, an innocent expression on his face as he looked Snape in the eye, "the alternative being Harry pinning me to the nearest surface sticking his tongue down my throat."

Harry had no idea how Draco had managed to say that with a straight face when he was practically choking on the air he was attempting to breathe just from having heard Draco say it; Harry was torn between wanting to laugh as Draco's sheer nerve and being seriously concerned about what Snape might do now. The Potions master didn't seem to coping any better than Harry, though, and was currently staring at Draco's softly smiling face in disbelief.

"Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy..." Snape said firmly after a few long moments; the potion master sighed, seeming to need to brace himself for what he was about to say. "You are excused for five minutes; I suggest you make _very_ good use of that time and ensure that when you return there is no evidence of any activities which would require me to remove house points... from either of you. Do not make me regret this," he added through clenched teeth.

Nodding, and not wanting to give Snape a chance to change his mind, both Harry and Draco quickly got up from their seats, each grabbing their removed shoe and sock before hurrying for the door at the back of the room. The pair of them got some rather confused looks from the other students as they hurried out of the class room together, both with one shoe off and one shoe on.

Only Hermione and Pansy seemed to have worked out what had happened, the two girls both looking highly amused as they whispered explanations to Ron and Blaise respectively. Ron made a kind of strangled 'eep' noise before nearly falling off his chair, looking from Hermione to the two boys heading for the door.

The idea of what Snape had caught Harry and Draco doing was just too much for Blaise however, and he seemed unable to help himself when he burst out laughing; though he hastily clamped a hand over his mouth a second later. "Sorry, sir," he said quickly, through his barely restrained laughter, before the potions master could reprimand him.

"I believe you all have work to be doing," Snape snapped impatiently, his eyes narrowed at Blaise in particular, before sweeping over the other students too. "Anyone who does not complete today's work to my satisfaction will be considered to have volunteered as a test subject for the practical lesson."

This was a very effective threat and it was almost miraculous how focused the sixth year Gryffindor and Slytherins suddenly were.

-#-

Draco had barely managed to close the door to the potions room behind them before Harry's lips were on his, in a desperate and powerful kiss, both of them dropping their removed shoes and socks to the floor, forgotten. He could feel the pressure on his wings, as they were squashed against the door as Harry pressed their bodies close together, but his mind was completely focused on his mate.

A shadow fell over them as Harry displayed his own wings, splaying them out behind and above them in a show of power that make Draco actually feel a little heady; but, at the same time, there were tingles of the magical energy transfer spreading through Draco's body, making him feel more alert than he had since entering the potions lab an hour earlier.

The blond sighed happily as Harry's tongue gently moved over his own, pushing all conscious thought from his head and encouraging him to submit to the pleasure his mate could give him. Harry separated their lips, nibbling teasingly at Draco's jaw; the blond felt like he was getting weak at the knees as his fingers threaded into Harry's hair, the two of them pressing their bodies against each other's.

Draco's knees were never given a chance to fail him, however, because Harry quickly had his hands had worked their way down the smaller boy's body, and were now gripping firmly on the backs of Draco's thighs. Picking the blond up with surprising ease, Harry pinned him against the door using his body.

"Harry," Draco mumbled a little breathlessly against Harry lips, the words muffled into their kiss. When Harry eased up on the kiss and looked at his curiously, Draco tried speaking again. "Harry, we shouldn't be doing this against the door to the potions lab," he pointed out, amusement dancing in his eyes. "That is just asking for trouble."

Harry pulled back slightly, though still keeping careful hold of his mate, and looked puzzled for a moment. Until Draco's words seemed to sink in and he glanced at the door, which was half hidden by purple wings; his eyes widened as he realised exactly what they were both leaning against. "Oh..." he said slowly.

Draco unthreaded his fingers from Harry's hair, and wrapped his arms around his mate's neck for support and gave him his trademark Malfoy smirk. "Well, don't you think you should find an alternative surface to molest me against?" Draco asked with a wink.

Harry rolled his eyes but never the less picked Draco up and moved them a few meters down the corridor, pinning his mate to the wall there. Wasting no time, Harry went back to trying to make sure Draco was incapable of speech. The blond, however, was giving as good as he was getting and soon Harry was unable to keep himself from pressing the hardening bulge in his trousers against Draco's hip.

Draco broke their kiss with a quiet groan, tipping his head back against the wall, as he felt his own trousers tightening in response. "Harry..." he gasped out, his fingers gripping tightly to his mate's shoulders as he relished the heady buzz of Harry's magic flowing through him. Harry took advantage of Draco's position and broken their kiss to start nibbling the blond's exposed neck gently, alternating between that and pressing kisses to the pale skin.

"Harry... we have to stop...." Draco gasped out, but it was the least convincing request Harry had ever heard him make and he could tell that the blond was no more keen on stopping than he was; however, at least a small part of his brain knew that Draco was right and so he reluctantly tried to calm himself. "I am sure we have already been gone at least a few minutes and if we keep going..." Draco said, sounding slightly out of breath but definitely smiling. "Well I just don't want the first time we remember doing this to be in the potions corridor," he added, his smile twisting into a smirk.

Harry rested his head on the wall over Draco's shoulder, the cold of the stone helping to take the edge off the aroused flush of his body. "Yeah, I know," he said slowly, catching his breath. He definitely agreed that the first time they decided to take things further should be special, not some quick romp in a corridor.

"Harry," Draco said affectionately, holding back a chuckle.

"Yes, Draco?" Harry asked, his forehead still resting against the stone wall of the dungeons.

"You can put me down now," Draco pointed out, wiggling his hips a little, and smirking as Harry pulled back to look at him curiously.

"What?" Harry mumbled, before realising that he still had Draco pinned to the wall. "Oh... OH! Right, sorry," he added quickly and Draco chuckled as Harry carefully lowered him to the floor. Harry withdrew his wings, willing them away as he made sure that Draco was stable on his feet, despite the blond trying to shrug him off, before taking a step back.

Both boys looked each other over and laughed; it was obvious what the pair of them had been up to, and so they started to straighten their clothing as best they could, including fetching their missing shoes and putting them back on. Draco used a quick spell to straighten and tidy his own hair and then, noticing the mess Harry's was in, made a quick attempt to tidy his too; though he gave up in almost record time.

"We best get back," Harry said, though the way he was looking at Draco made it obvious that his brain was supplying several other suggestions that he would much rather be doing.

"Yeah, let me just find an image horrible enough to get rid of this," Draco said with a sigh, indicating his obviously tented trousers.

"Erm.... McGonagall naked?" Harry suggested with a laugh, but as the image popped into his mind he suddenly looked rather nauseated, though it did definitely reduce his own problem.

"Yeah, that will probably do it, thanks...." Draco said, though he didn't sound particularly sincere with his gratitude; Harry wouldn't hold it against him though, given that he wanted that image out of his head too. "Well at least it worked; but did you have to think of something quite that bad?" Draco asked with an exaggerated sigh.

"Could have suggested naked Dumbledore instead," Harry told him with a grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "Is that better or worse?" he asked, taking Draco's hand in his own, as pulling him closer.

Draco shuddered. "I am not really sure, but at least we don't have to sit through a meeting with McGonagall this evening," he pointed out.

"That's a good point," Harry said with a laugh. He gave Draco a chaste kiss, and started to lead them back to class before they ended up being late; the last thing either of them needed was detention from Snape.

Snape pointedly ignored them as they re-entered the classroom and made their way back to their desk; Harry and Draco followed the professor's lead on that front, and they, in turn, deliberately didn't look at any of their friends. Hermione, however, took a second to look over her shoulder and share a knowing smirk with Pansy; they were going to have so much fun teasing Harry and Draco about this.

-#-

As expected, Hermione and Pansy had both taken great joy in spending all day teasing both boys about the morning’s potions lesson. Neither Harry or Draco took it personally but it was still with some relief that they were each able to excuse themselves after dinner to go speak with the headmaster.

"Harry, Draco," Dumbledore greeted fondly as the two boys entered his office; he waved his hand at the two seats he had arranged for them, and Harry promptly sat down, Draco taking the seat on his right a second later. "How are you both getting along?" the headmaster asked, leaning forward to peer at them over his large desk, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

Harry glanced over at Draco, an affectionate look in his eyes. "We are getting better," Harry told him, the blond nodding his agreement to that sentiment. "It is a lot less weird than it was in the beginning, sir. We have actually grown rather fond of each other," he added and caught sight of Draco rolling his eyes.

"But there is a matter you wished to discuss with me?" the old man asked, watching the pair of them curiously.

Harry gestured for his mate to take the lead, this was really Draco's conversation, and he was just there for support. "It's about my mother," Draco explained. "We need to get her somewhere safe and we were really hoping you could help."

"Really?" Dumbledore asked curiously, watching the blond with narrowed eyes, as though trying to figure out what they were up to. "Is there something you wish to tell me, Draco?"

Draco shifted nervously in his chair and looked down to avoid the twinkling eyes of the headmaster, which he was sure would be fixed on him at that moment. "My father asked me to do some things," he explained, "terrible things, which I refused to do."

"I see," the headmaster said slowly, nodding his head in understanding. "I am assuming these things were not originally your father's idea."

Draco looked up and gave Dumbledore a shy smile. They all knew what wasn't being said, for it was no secret that Lucius Malfoy was in Voldemort's pocket, even if many Ministry officials refused to accept the truth of it. Draco had always been grateful for his father's sway with people in the past, when it had kept the Malfoy family in good stead, but now he knew it was going to make getting out from under his father's thumb all the more difficult.

"Well, I am very glad to hear you are not blindly following your father, Draco," Dumbledore said seriously, with what seemed to be earnest pride in his voice; he had hoped that Harry might be able to bring Draco over to their side, but this had been quicker even than he had hoped. "Though I suspect that your refusal is the reason you believe your mother may be in need of our assistance?"

Draco nodded and reached over to grip Harry's hand, needing his mate's support. Harry gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand; it wasn't going to be easy, but he wasn't having to manage anything alone.

"I will speak with our potions master," Dumbledore promised with a nod of his head. "I am sure he will be able to get a message to Narcissa without drawing too much attention."

"Snape?" Harry asked incredulously, scrunching up his nose in distaste. He wanted to see Draco's mother protected, and he just wasn't at all sure they could trust Snape to make that happen. "Sir, are you sure...?"

"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted very sternly. "I trust _Professor_ Snape completely and I ask that you do the same. I am not asking you to like him."

Harry snorted; the 'that's good because that will never happen.' was left unsaid.

"Draco, I am very proud of the decision you have made," Dumbledore told the blond seriously. "I am aware how difficult this must be for you and I promised that we shall do all we can to keep you and your family safe."

"Thank you, sir," Draco said, with a dip of his head. "And it might have been a difficult decision before but now... everything is different. My parents aren't the only family I have to consider," Draco explained, giving Harry a slightly sad smile.

Dumbledore didn't say anything more but just nodded his head slightly in acceptance of Draco's words. Harry got to his feet, and gave the headmaster a grateful smile; he pulled his pensive-looking mate to his feet too and the two of them took their leave.

"Do you really think they will be able to get my mother to somewhere safe?" Draco asked in little more than a whisper as he and Harry exited the office.

"I think between Dumbledore and Snape they will do everything they can to get her to a safe location," Harry said honestly. He still didn't trust Snape, but he trusted Dumbledore to handle the potions master. "It'll be okay, you'll see," he assured the blond, leaning down give Draco a chaste kiss, wanting to remind his mate that neither of them were alone anymore.


	7. Empowerment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

Draco's week had not got off to the best of starts. While nothing specific had gone wrong, he had been unable to stop himself from worrying that his father was about to barge into the school and drag him home to meet You-Know-Who. He was so nervous that he had barely left Harry's side; that in itself wasn't so much a problem, given how much he loved being around Harry now, but people were noticing.

His reputation had already taken a serious blow since the start of his relationship with Harry and, while his closest friends had remained remarkably loyal, he was getting comments and snide remarks from many other students.

"What's with you this week, Draco?" Blaise asked with concern over dinner that Wednesday. He had seen the way that some of the students had been treating his friend, but it wasn't like Draco to let such comments bother him; he had been listening to people criticise him for simply being a Malfoy his whole life after all.

"I know..." Draco said, sighing as he rested his head in his hands. He wasn't sure what was happening to him exactly, but he felt all out of sorts, like someone had pulled the ground out from under his feet; he had never claimed to be brave, but he didn't like how anxious he was at the moment.

"You are clinging to Harry like some girly Hufflepuff," Blaise pointed out in a quiet voice, glancing around them to make sure that no-one else was listening.

"I... know..." Draco snarled through clenched teeth.  He was so frustrated with himself but didn't seem to be able to snap out of it; even now he half wanted to go over to the Gryffindor table and tuck himself into Harry's side. He was quite certain that it was his Erote instincts, but that didn't make it feel any less humiliating.

"What has you so nervous?" Pansy asked Draco gently, giving Blaise a glare that told him to behave and placed a hand gently on Draco's back, carefully avoiding his wings. "Is this all about what your father said in that letter?" she asked.

Draco sighed again and nodded. "That and not knowing if my mother is safe; I guess Harry became my safe place." Draco pulled a face at that thought. "Damn, you're right, I am acting like some sappy Hufflepuff girl. Stupid submissive instincts," he grumbled under his breath.

"Didn't Dumbledore say that he and Professor Snape would make sure your mother was okay?" Blaise asked. He understood Draco's concerns about his mother, given how deep Lucius was in the Dark Lord's pocket, but from what he could tell the headmaster was a man of his word and so he thought Narcissa would probably be okay.

"Actually he said he would speak to Professor Snape about getting a message to my mother," Draco clarified. He was still unsure about what the potions master would be able to do to help, but he had no choice but to trust Snape; this was something he found very difficult to do as he really didn't like having to trust others. "But I suppose the implication was that he would make sure she was safe," he conceded.

"Quite," Pansy said with a nod of approval. "And do you honestly think that Harry, the professors, me or Blaise would let your father take you anywhere?" she asked, her tone somewhat patronising, as she gave Draco a look of exasperation. She missed her strong, arrogant friend and was determined to help him find that confidence in himself again, no matter what how his instincts were pushing him to behave.

"Yes, thank you," Draco said dryly, a small frown on his face. "I am painfully aware that I am behaving like a foolish idiot, but I just can't help it," he admitted. "It's just instinct."

"Well I guess it is only natural for you to look for support from Potter," Blaise told him, somewhat mockingly, "given that you're in love with him." A grin spread across his face as he watched Draco struggle to find the words for a moment; he could see Pansy hiding her own amusement behind the back of her hand.

"What....? I am not..." Draco managed to protest a few seconds later, as he stared at his friend in shock. 'Surely I'm not,' he thought to himself. "It has been less than a month..." he tried to argue but images of Harry kissing him, of Harry smiling at him were popping up in his mind, making him second-guess his own thoughts. He thought of Harry's words the day he had gotten the letter from his father: _'It will be okay, trust me'_.

Draco had trusted him implicitly at once, and still did so; it came as quite a shock to realise that it hadn't occurred to him not to. He let his eyes scan the table across the room, quickly finding Harry sitting with his back towards him, facing best friends. He knew that he cared about Harry and he was definitely, surprisingly, happy with him, but love him? Draco felt that it just had to be too soon for that. "Of course I'm not..." he said, hoping he sounded more sure than he felt. "Don't be daft."

"Okay, Draco. If you say so," Blaise said, a smug and knowing smirk on his face. "But just so you know, that might have been more convincing if you weren't staring longingly at him across the room."

Draco turned to Blaise with a grin. "Just because my boyfriend happens to have the hottest arse in the school, doesn't mean I am in Love," he stated confidently turning his attention to his dinner, and Pansy chuckled from where she was sat on his other side.

"Whatever you say Draco," Blaise muttered back disbelievingly, returning his attention back to his own meal. "Whatever you say."

-#-

"Draco," a familiar voice called out as they were heading back towards the Slytherin common room.

Draco turned slowly, Pansy and Blaise sticking close to either side of him. His fellow Slytherin, Gregory Goyle, was standing there glaring at the three of them, with Vincent Crabbe at his side, arms crossed over his chest and looking equally annoyed.

"What do you want, Greg, Vince?" Draco asked, making it sound like even talking to them was a chore.

"You've been avoiding us," Goyle stated simply, his gaze fixed of the three Slytherins stood before him. None of them denied his accusation; it had been difficult to know who to trust since everything had changed, and Greg and Vince had hardly been at the top of Draco's list of priorities.

"Or is it just that you are too busy bending over for Gryffindor's golden boy?" Crabbe asked, a sneer on his face. They had spent most of their lives hearing remarks about Gryffindors, and the last five-and-a-bit years listening to how much Draco hated Harry Potter; they really didn't understand how things could have changed so dramatically.

"Aww, Vince, are you jealous?" Draco asked, a smirk on his lips and he heard Blaise chuckling behind him. Honestly he felt nervous, and was resisting the strong urge he felt to go to Harry, to let the Gryffindor protect him and their child, but he ignored his instincts and held his head high, looking confident and self-assured.

"You might want to consider playing nice, Draco," Goyle said, as Crabbe growled at Draco through gritted teeth, his fists clenched at his sides. "I bet the only reason your parents aren't already dead is because no-one wants to be the one to tell the Dark Lord about your change of heart." he added, looking rather pleased with himself as he narrowed his eyes at his three fellow Slytherins.

"Was that supposed to be a threat?" Draco asked, looking mildly surprised. "You don't actually expect me to believe that the two of you would actually dare to speak to Him about me, or whatever I might choose to do with my life," he added, chuckling to himself a little as he shook his head.

"We will if you leave us no choice," Crabbe said with a smirk. "We're not stupid, we know you are all traitors," he added, looking pleased at having worked this out for himself.

"Smug really doesn't suit you, Vince," Pansy said, sighing as she shook her head. "And besides," she went on, as she stepped past Draco and approached Crabbe and Goyle, "if you really wanted to cause trouble for Draco, then why are you taking the time to warn us in advance?"

Crabbe and Goyle stared at her, the Slytherin girl smiling at them patiently as the two boys took a moment to look to each other as they thought it over.

"You are allowed to say that you just missed your friend," Blaise commented from where he remained at Draco's side, realising that Pansy was right, and feeling rather stupid for not realising it for himself.

Crabbe's face twisted into a frown as he glanced at Blaise and Draco, before looking back to Pansy; Goyle was watching her intensely, though with slight apprehension. It didn't seem like she, or Blaise and Draco, were particularly upset or bothered by the things they had said, but that didn't mean she wasn't a threat to them. Pansy could be very dangerous when she wanted to be.

"Don't worry so much, boys," Pansy said, a little patronisingly, as she reached up and patted Goyle on the cheek. "I'm sure we could spare a little time for the two of you." She turned to grin at Draco and Blaise but as she turned back to Crabbe and Goyle her eyes narrowed. "If you even think about causing trouble for Draco or Harry," she warned, dropping her voice to a whisper so that Blaise and Draco wouldn't be able to hear, "there will be hell to pay."

Crabbe and Goyle nodded almost imperceptibly at her, and she smirked at them almost proudly.

"Is that really what this is about?" Draco asked, looking a little surprised and somewhat sceptical as he stepped towards them. He could see how Pansy had reached such a conclusion and it made sense, but it just seemed strange to him. He hadn't thought that either Crabbe or Goyle actually cared about him or their friendships  with him much at all. "You missed spending time with us?"

Goyle shrugged and it was Crabbe who answered. "Yeah, homework takes us ten times longer without your assistance," he admitted.

Blaise laughed and Draco shook his head in amusement. "You two are such idiots," he said fondly. "You could still have asked for my help.  I understand that things have changed somewhat, and that I have been busier but you haven't tried to speak with me all those times I was sitting in the common room doing my homework," he pointed out.

"So we can join you?" Goyle asked as if waiting for Draco to retract his offer.

"Yes, Greg, you can join us," Draco said with a slightly exasperated sigh. "We are actually on our way to the library now to study. Are you coming?" he asked with a smirk, a little surprised at how pleased he felt to have his other two friends back.

-#-

Harry looked up as he heard Draco's voice from across the Library and spotted his boyfriend walking in, with what looked to be a full Slytherin entourage. Apparently whatever had been keeping Draco's former bodyguard-like friends away had been resolved.

"Hi," Draco greeted happily as the group of Slytherins came over to where Harry was sat with Ron and Hermione, and the blond leaned in to press a quick kiss to Harry's lips.

"Do you have to do that?" Ron asked without looking up from the parchment he was writing on.

"You aren't even looking at us," Harry pointed out as he rolled his eyes; he knew that Ron wasn't really comfortable with his and Draco's relationship but the fact that the red-head wasn't making any real fuss over it meant a lot to him; it certainly meant enough that he wasn't going to take light-hearted digs like this one to heart.

"I can still hear what you are doing though," Ron said, his nose scrunching up in distaste, the embarrassed flush colouring his face even to the tops of his ears. He continued to keep his eyes on the piece of homework he was doing, however, knowing that if he could get it finished then Hermione would look it over for him.

Harry laughed lightly and pulled Draco onto his lap, ignoring the indignant huff that the blond gave as a half-hearted protest; there was something about having his boyfriend close that just made him feel much more at ease. "I see you have gained a couple more Slytherins since dinner," he whispered into Draco's ear as all four other Slytherins took seats around them.

Draco chuckled and rested his head on Harry's shoulder so that he could whisper back. "Apparently they missed me," he told the Gryffindor, a definite smugness to his words.

Harry laughed again. "I can understand that," he admitted, a smirk on his face as he held Draco close, "I missed you too."

"You were snogging me senseless a couple of hours ago, prat," Draco said, sitting more upright and giving Harry a shove to his shoulder.

"Oh yeah," Harry conceded, pressing teasing kisses to Draco's jaw, "so I was." He had never really had a relationship with anyone else, had never felt particularly inclined to start one, but now that he had Draco, he couldn't get enough of him.

"Mr Potter! Mr Malfoy!," the librarian called out indignantly as she headed towards their table, causing everyone in the room turn to look at them. The two sixth years looked a little flustered at the interruption, their friends around chuckling in amusement as the two of them turned their wide-eyed attention to the approaching woman. "This library is for studying not for your amorous encounters," Madam Pince told them firmly.

"Sorry!" Harry and Draco both apologised quickly, as the blond climbed off Harry's lap and sat down in a chair at his side. Around them their friends were sharing very amused looks and trying to smother their laughs in their hands.

On Draco's other side was Crabbe, who was looking rather amused at the others but generally very pleased to have his friend back; across from them was Goyle, who was actually smiling at him.

'Okay, so I might have missed them too,' Draco thought to himself.

-#-

It turned out that simply having four other students following you around did pretty good things for your standing, at least in Slytherin house. It had certainly helped his mood too, as things felt more normal to him again now; he was also starting to realise, when he paid attention to those students who weren't in Slytherin, that most of the students seemed to see his relationship with Harry as a status symbol.

While he had been getting comments from his housemates, apparently, according to Crabbe and Goyle,  even the other Slytherins were slightly wary of him; it seemed that they didn't want to face the wrath of Gryffindor's most famous three students by creating problems for Draco, Pansy or Blaise.

"You seem happier since Crabbe and Goyle started hanging around," Harry commented to Draco as they sat curled up on their sofa that Friday evening. "I was worried about you at the beginning of the week, you didn't seem like yourself," he pointed out, leaving the unanswered question hanging there, letting Draco choose whether or not he wanted to discuss it.

"I guess it was all just getting a bit much," Draco admitted quietly with a sigh, cuddling a little closer to Harry; the admission making him feel uncomfortably vulnerable. "I was feeling so anxious about everything."

"But you are feeling better now?" Harry asked; he had noticed the difference in Draco the last few days, but he wasn't sure what had caused it.

"Yes," Draco said, turning to smile up at Harry. "I spoke with Professor Snape earlier, apparently he got a message to my mother," he said; he had meant to mention it to Harry before but had got distracted by an intense snogging session when they had returned to their rooms. "She is going to visit Paris for a while or something."

"That's good," Harry said before pressing a kiss to the blond's temple. He was certainly glad that Draco had one less thing to be worrying and stressing about at least; it didn't solve all their problems but it certainly helped simplify matters.

"Plus my reputation as top Slytherin is far more intact than I thought, according to Crabbe and Goyle," Draco told him, smiling happily. "Apparently bending over for Gryffindor's golden boy, as they put it," he said, scrunching his nose to show just what he thought of that phrasing, "just means that the other Slytherins are too nervous about upsetting you to give me any trouble."

"And all that without having to torture any first years, I am so proud of you," Harry teased, but in truth he was actually rather glad that he hadn't been given any reason to think that Draco had been bullying anyone again since that time in the Great Hall.

 "Though," Draco said, crossing his arms over his chest as scowling, "why is it everyone is assuming that you are fucking me?" he asked, as his frown turned into a pout.  "Quite an assumption," he added a little huffily, "maybe it is you who is giving it up. How would they know?"

Harry laughed loudly, mostly at how indignant Draco looked; it really was rather adorable. "I am guessing it is because I have been acting more dominant in public," Harry suggested. "But you are quite right, they shouldn't assume such things," he said, realising that he wasn't actually making such assumptions about their private life either. "Besides," he went on, smirking as he leaned down to nibble at Draco's jaw, "I assume I don't need to remind you but at the moment neither of us is having sex with the other."

Draco snorted slightly in amusement, leaning into his boyfriend's attentions. Things were good between them, they were understanding each other better all the time, but that didn't mean they were ready for that step in their relationship, and Draco was glad that Harry wasn't pushing for things to move any quicker than they were.

"And I am sure when we get to that," Harry went on, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple as he relaxed back on the sofa, "you will be quite capable of giving as good as you're getting," he said, finishing with a wink.

Draco stared at him in shock; it seemed that he had been making a few assumptions of his own, because he had not been expecting for Harry to say or imply such a thing. "You mean that?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course,"  Harry said, looking at Draco with surprise. "Did you really think I was going to expect you lie back and take it, so to speak? No, you might be the one who will carry our children but that doesn't we can't be flexible about these things," Harry explained with a soft smile.

Draco threw his arms around Harry's neck. "Thank you; just, thank you," he whispered; he hadn't even realised that he felt trapped by the roles their biology had dictated to them, and the knowledge that Harry had no intention of letting those instincts rule over their lives and choices was comforting to him in a way that he hadn't known he needed.

After a few moments, Harry managed to recover from the shock of the blonde's enthusiastic gratitude and hugged Draco back. He hadn't thought that his boyfriend would want or need such reassurances, thought that it was obvious that he wouldn't insist that Draco was solely submissive to him at all times, but it seemed he was mistaken; clearly, they both still had much to learn about each other.

-#-

Draco had spent most of Saturday morning working on homework in the Slytherin common room with Pansy and Blaise, and had been pleased when Vince and Greg had joined them not long after they had started.  However, by lunch time, Draco's stomach wouldn't stop rumbling loudly in demand of food and he, Pansy and Blaise left Crabbe and Goyle to finish off their transfiguration work and headed in the direction of the Great Hall.

They had almost reached the large doors of the Great Hall when Pansy's hand gripped his arm tightly, and he turned to look at her in question. "Draco," she hissed urgently under her breath,  gesturing across the Entrance Hall to where the tall and intimidating figure of Lucius Malfoy walking through the school doors.

Draco felt his blood run cold, the sight of his father rooting him to the spot; he had known that this day was coming, that Lucius would not tolerate his silence, the lack of communication, for long. He wished now that he had stuck with Harry today, that they had discussed what to do, that they had some kind of plan in place, but he just felt vulnerable and it took a lot to keep him from wrapping his arms around his flat belly.

"Blaise, get Harry; now!" Pansy instructed under her breath. Blaise didn't need to be told twice, and he ran off up the stairs, taking them two at a time, the crowds of students moving out of his way lest they be ploughed to the ground in his urgency.

Draco felt frozen to the spot as his father approached them and he found himself cursing the absence of Crabbe and Goyle at his side at that moment, though he was thankful for Pansy's presence. He made a conscious effort to fold his wings back, making them as small as possible behind his back, such that they were almost completely hidden. He thought that it was unlikely that he could keep the truth from his father for long, but he wasn't going to make it easy for the man.

"Draco, we are going to walk in the grounds," the older Malfoy instructed when he stopped a few metres from his son, glaring at a few students who had gathered around them into leaving. Pansy, however, did not move, her arms crossed over her chest defiantly as she stared at Lucius coolly.

"No, Father, we are not," Draco responded, glad when his voice had not trembled at all. He subtly took a deep breath, trying to remain calm despite how much he was shaking; his only comforts being Pansy's presence at his side and the knowledge that Harry would be there soon. "I am going to breakfast and you are leaving," Draco stated confidently, keen to put some distance between himself and his father.

Lucius already seemed to be having trouble controlling his temper and that made Draco even more nervous; Lucius' anger rarely ended well for anyone, and the man was not used to Draco defying him. "I am your Father!" Lucius snapped impatiently. "You _will_ do as you are told."

"No! I will not," Draco informed him, meeting his eyes and trying to radiate a confidence he didn't feel. "And I cannot do what you have asked of me, so I think it would be best if you just left," he told his father firmly and, wanting to get away from the man and the scene they were causing, turned to go into the Great Hall for breakfast; though his stomach was churning to badly for him to actually had any appetite at the moment.

However, Draco had forgotten that this would give his father a very clear view of the tightly folded purple wings on his back and didn't realise this until he heard his father's sudden shocked gasp. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath.

"What, in the name of Merlin, have you done to yourself?!" Lucius demanded to know; his voice was right up close to Draco's ear, having closed the distance between them in a shockingly short amount of time. Lucius reached around his son and took a firm grip on the teenager's neck and chin, pulling Draco back against his chest. "What _are_ you?" he asked, a mixture of curiosity and disgust in his voice.

"Get... off... me..." Draco managed to snarl, despite his Father's grip on his jaw; Draco was scratching and pulling at his father's hand and his wings were pushing against the taller man. He caught Pansy's eye and was about to plead with her for help when her gaze shifted up the nearby Stairway.

"You are _REALLY_...," Harry snarled out as he landed a few feet away from the two Malfoys, "...going to want to let him go RIGHT NOW!"

Lucius spun quickly, his son still held against his chest, to face Harry. Draco felt relief flood his body, as he took in the sight of his enraged boyfriend, the green of Harry's wings making his green eyes seem to flash even more dangerously. There was no doubt that Harry was angry; he had both his wings and wand out, having jumped and glided down from at least three floors up.

"I see my son is not the one to have undergone some... changes, as of late," the elder Malfoy sneered with disgust as he looked the Gryffindor over. "This is, however, none of your concern, Mr Potter. I will take my son and leave," he said, dragging Draco backwards a few paces towards the doors out of the castle.

"You will not!" Harry raged, the idea that someone would even try to take Draco and their child from him making his instincts burn and his wings spread out behind him. "And this is most definitely my concern," he stated, his eyes narrowed as he stalked forward, closing the distance between him and the Malfoys, his large wings shifting slightly with each deep breath he took.

"Harry..." Draco managed to breath out, the name a small instinctive plea that he could no longer hold back in the face of Harry's dominance.

"STOP!" Lucius called out, part panic, part anger, and Harry froze in his tracks, glaring at him. "I see..." the senior Malfoy commented, looking between his son and Harry calculatingly, "so things have changed between you two." He ran a finger over Draco's cheek in mock affection, making the blond boy flinch at the action. "How can you shame your family like this, Draco?" he asked quietly, his eyes fixed on Harry as he spoke. "Lying with another man and Harry Potter at that." He shook his head and tutted in disappointment.

On the surface, Lucius seemed to have regained his calm; Harry, however, could still see the currents of anger were flowing fiercely behind the man's eyes, the hint of madness that made him wary. "Are you sure you want to come any closer while my hand is around his neck, Mr Potter?" Lucius asked, challenge in his voice.

By this point there was a growing crowd of students who had gathered around them, despite Pansy's attempts to get them to leave and Harry noticed that part way up the stairs Dumbledore and Snape were making their way through the crowds. Harry threw the Headmaster the quickest of looks, hoping he would get the message to stay out of this.

Lucius, however, seemed to notice the glance and followed it with his own eyes, growling slightly at the sight of the two Professors. It was the distracted Draco needed, and the blond took advantage of the moment and tried to force his wings open suddenly with all the strength he could manage; his wings would never have the power of Harry's, simply due to their smaller size and the action failed to dislodge his Father but only because Lucius had used one hand to take a firm grip on the top of a wing.

Harry only had a tiny moment to take in the victorious and smug but determined expression on Draco's face before Lucius released his grip on the purple wing and fell to his knees with a gasp, as though he had been holding his breath for several minutes. Free from his father's hold, Draco was almost falling over himself to throw himself into Harry's arms, his instincts pushing to get both himself and their unborn child to safety.

"What did you do?" Harry asked as he held Draco tightly against his chest, trying to calm his racing heart; however, his eyes and wand were still fixed on the blond man kneeling on the floor. Draco actually chuckled as he whispered to his boyfriend what he had done; Harry, however, was not so subtle and burst out into raucous laughter.

Dumbledore and Snape quickly appeared at Harry's side now that the threat seemed to have somehow been stopped, though they were both watching Lucius cautiously, not at all sure what had just happened.

Lucius looked up and held out his hand "Severus... please," he said, his voice breathy and pleading.

Snape just stared at him in confusion, before turning to the two chuckling teenagers who were clinging to each other next to him. "What did you do?" he demanded of Draco, with a sinking feeling in his gut; he did, after all, know full well what the young blond was capable of now.

"I might have made him fall in love," Draco mumbled, burying his against Harry's chest and refusing to look at the potions master.

"Severus..." Lucius said, and was actually crawling across the floor of the Entrance Hall towards the potions master now.

"With me..?!" Snape exclaimed, his eyes going wide as he turned to look at Lucius for a moment, before narrowing his eyes at Draco again. "Are you completely demented, child?" he asked, sighing as he ran a hand over his face in exasperation, trying to work out how his life had come to this.

Dumbledore was now chuckling too, from where he was stood on Snape's other side. "He really does seem quite taken with you, Severus," he commented calmly, a soft amused smile on his lips.

"Please tell me this is at least temporary..." Snape requested, his voice deep and his brow furrowed into a scowl of annoyance. He was actively not looking at the man who was quietly pleading for his attention.

"Honestly..." Draco said with a nervous chuckle as he finally turned to look at the potions master, "I am not completely sure. I have never actually done that before and I was angry and scared," he tried to explain truthfully. "He was making snide remarks about my sexuality and my relationship with Harry,  and it reminded me... I remembered the way you used to look at him sometimes," he said, looking a little bashful at this. "So I just willed it to happen and..." Draco paused, gesturing to the mess his father was in and giving Snape an apologetic look. "I might have been a bit too forceful though..."

"And what exactly do you think your mother will think of all this?" Snape ask Draco sternly, ignoring the comment about his feelings towards Lucius; he had long ago accepted that they would be unrequited.

"Honestly, Sir, I imagine she will be delighted that she won't have anyone keeping her from spending time with Adrien, in Paris," Draco answered with a grin, causing Harry to chuckle deeply and hold onto him just a little tighter.

"Cheeky brat," Snape muttered, even though he was quite sure that Draco was entirely correct in his assumption.

"I can't help but notice you don't seem terribly upset by this turn of events, sir," Harry commented to the potions master with a smirk on his face. Snape might not have acknowledged Draco's insinuation that he had feelings for Lucius, but Harry hadn't missed that he hadn't denied it either.

"You would be wise to be silent on such matters, Mr Potter," Snape told him with the best glare he could manage. He was struggling to get his head around what Draco had done, and Harry's comments were doing nothing to help him straighten out his thoughts.

"Yes, sir; as you wish, sir," Harry said, and he was smiling as he nodded his head in acquiescence.

"Severus, perhaps it would be best if we moved Mr Malfoy elsewhere just in case Draco's influence is to wear off," Dumbledore suggested, as he watched Lucius with fascination. "Your rooms perhaps," he added, as he turned to the potions master with a playful smile.

Snape sighed with defeat, feeling rather ganged-up on at that moment. "Very well, Headmaster," he conceded as he helped Lucius to his feet and, with the older blond clinging tightly to his side, Snape headed towards the dungeons with Dumbledore in tow.

"Do you think that it is wise to rely on Lucius' new found love of Snape to keep your father in the castle and in line?" Harry asked once the three men were out of sight. He was frowning slightly in concern as he put an arm over Draco's shoulders and tucked his boyfriend into his side, his wings curling around them protectively.

"I think that Snape and Dumbledore have probably been doing this long enough, to work that out for themselves," Draco pointed out, looking up into Harry's eyes, the crowd of students starting to disperse and head into the Great Hall. "I think it is likely that they will have other ways of binding him to the castle to prevent him leaving," he said confidently, trusting Snape to handle it. "Lunch?" he suggested, as his stomach rumbled.

"Sure," Harry agreed, with a smile. "But you are sitting with me," he added, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple as he pulled in his wings and led them in the direction of the Great Hall, "I am not quite ready to let you be on the other side of a room just yet."

"Possessive bastard," Draco said with a chuckle; though he was truthfully rather glad that Harry had been the one to suggest they stay close for the moment.

"Absolutely!" Harry exclaimed with a grin. "Have you seen yourself?" he asked, letting his gaze pointedly trail over Draco. "Anyone might want to steal you from me," Harry told him with a wink, making Draco laugh again.

-#-

"So what the hell was that all about?" Ron asked rather bluntly later that evening.

Pansy, Blaise, Vince, Greg, Hermione and Ron were all sitting around in the living area of Harry and Draco's room, looking at the young couple and waiting expectantly for answers about what had happened at lunch time. It was rather cramped with them all in the small room and Harry smiled at the thought that if they were all going to spend time here together they would probably have to acquire some more seating.

"Well," Draco said, not really sure where to start, "to put it simply, my father is not happy that I am refusing to follow the orders You-Know-Who has told him to give me. This was his last ditch attempt to bring me into line, I suppose," he told them with a shrug of his shoulders, trying for dismissive, not wanting to make a thing out of it.

"What did he want you to do?" Hermione asked curiously, the one question that Draco really hadn't wanted to hear. He opened his mouth, but shut it again, not finding the words; it had been hard enough to tell Harry the truth about this.

"That's not really important," Harry interrupted, because Draco could say anything more. "What matters is that Lucius isn't a threat anymore," he told them as he pulled Draco closer to his side; he could practically feel his boyfriend radiating relief at not having to explain further.

"Yeah, what exactly did you do to Lucius, Draco?" Blaise asked. He had watched the scene unfold from part way up the stairs, having come back down after he had found Harry; though, without wings, he had had to stick to the slightly slower method known as walking.

Harry and Draco shared an amused expression, having been laughing on and off all afternoon at the knowledge of what Draco had done. "I made him fall in love with Professor Snape," the blond told their friends unrepentantly.

"WHAT?!?" The other occupants of the room all exclaimed in surprise. Perhaps they shouldn't have been so shocked given that they knew what Draco's wings could do, but it was just such a ridiculous concept that it was going to take a few moments to get their heads around it.

Crabbe and Goyle had been filled in on all the details about Erotes, their abilities and even Draco's pregnancy. Thankfully they had been too nervous about pissing off the blonde and too glad to be friends with him again, to make any of the comments that had come to mind. Draco had made them take an oath to keep his and Harry's secret until such a time at which they would be given permission to speak of it. He was glad to have them as friends again and happy to have others who knew his secret but he wasn't ready to trust them completely just yet; he hoped that the threat of terrible boils would be enough to keep them as loyal as Hufflepuffs.

"I am fairly confident that Professor Snape always had a thing about my father and I can't help but think that my father always protested about homosexual relationships just a little bit too much..." Draco said with shrug, letting his voice trail off with the implication. "It probably is only a temporary thing anyway, but it was the first thing that came to mind."

"That is brilliant," Ron declared, seemingly finding it hilarious. "Though I don't know why you look quite so amused, Harry; Draco might have just made Snape into your future father-in-law."

Harry blanched, "I didn't think of that." he admitted and even Crabbe and Goyle couldn't help but laugh at the horrified expression he was wearing.

"So now your father is too busy fawning after Snape to worry about anything else?" Hermione asked, looking sceptical. It was rather ingenious if it really had worked, and she wondered exactly how long such an effect might last.

"Well, at the moment at least," Draco confirmed, nodding his head. "Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore are putting him in a secure location."

"At least this way he can't go back to Voldemort and can't hurt anyone else," Harry said, looking at Draco with pride; though it was almost too good to be true that they had managed to subdue Lucius with so little trouble and he found himself anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Isn't your ability to affect emotions supposed to last only a few moments?" Pansy asked curiously, keen to know more; she knew many of the legends that had been told about Erotes but those had never been heavy on the details. "Like when Harry made me kiss Blaise," she clarified, remembering how quickly those lustful feelings had broken.

"Wait... what?" Vince asked; he and Greg were looking both confused, and a little sorry to have missed such a thing.

"Draco persuaded Pansy to touch Harry's wing," Blaise explained, not really wanting to dwell over that particular memory too much. "And Harry used his influence to make her lust after me," he told them, not sounding at all impressed by this, even now. Harry was grinning with not even a shred of remorse for what he had done.

"It wore off within a few seconds of me letting go of his wing though," Pansy told them, wanting to get the conversation back on track and hopefully get her question answered.

"I think I might have been a little forceful about it," Draco explained with a shrug. The exact details on how their abilities worked were not entirely clear; he thought that he should probably make some time to read a few more of the books that Hermione had brought to their room and which were now stacked on one of their bookcases. "I am sure it will wear off, it will just take a bit longer..."

"We don't really know for sure though; this was the first time Draco had tried to do that to anyone," Harry pointed out. "Maybe his ability is longer-lasting than mine. It makes sense to me that love would naturally be longer-lasting than lust anyway."

"And if you're right about Professor Snape and Mr Malfoy already having feelings for each other,  then who knows what effect that might have," Hermione pointed out. "Because I assume that there is no existing attraction between Pansy and Blaise," she commented and the two Slytherins promptly shook their heads in agreement.

"I guess we will just have to wait and see," Blaise said with a smile, which slowly twisted into a smirk. "Maybe if Professor Snape actually gets laid he will be in a better mood."

Draco flung his hands over his ears and the others all looked a mixture of disgusted and amused. "That is my father you are talking about, Blaise!" the blond exclaimed, making their friends laugh. "Please don't ever say anything like that again," Draco said, looking a little traumatised.

Blaise however just shrugged unapologetically. "You kind of brought this upon yourself."

"Bringing them together and you talking about them doing... _that_... _"_ Draco said as he shook his head and looked slightly ill, "... are two different matters altogether."

"And that is why I don't like you two getting all lovey-dovey around me," Ron told them smugly, though he quickly blanched when Harry smirked and stole a brief kiss from Draco.

-#-

"Professor Snape," Draco called out the next day, as he hurried after the potions master down one of the dungeon corridors. Snape turned to watch as the younger Malfoy jogged down the corridor towards him. "I just wanted to ask how my father was," Draco told him.

"He is fine," Snape told the teenager a little bluntly, not really wanting to discuss this. However, Draco continued to look at him expectantly. "We have provided him with a room in my quarters which he is unable to leave," Snape added. "Though he seems to have little inclination to do so, other than to follow me around." Snape seemed to be trying his very best not to be amused by this particular detail.

"So it hasn't worn off yet?" Draco asked, as the two of them started walking down the corridor again; he did look slightly bashful about this.

"No, it has not," Snape told him. "Your father seems every bit as infatuated with me as he was yesterday." At this there was no hiding the smirk that crept onto the professor's face.

"Guess I was a little too forceful about it," Draco said, giving a short nervous laugh.

"So it would seem," Snape said with a nod of agreement. "However, it has still been less than twenty four hours, so it may yet pass." Draco nodded, knowing that the professor was likely right. "I have sent word to your mother," Snape added after a few seconds of silence between them, "I think it would be best if she was at least involved in the discussion about what we are to do with him."

Draco winced; despite his easy words about her likely ambivalence to losing her husband, he couldn't help but be slightly worried that in reality she would be less than impressed.

"I have not given her any details, as I did not wish to risk such information being intercepted, but she has agreed to come to Hogwarts to discuss an important matter, at her earliest convenience," the potions master informed him.

"Mother is coming here?" Draco asked, unable to keep himself from grinning widely at the idea that he would get to see her soon.

"It would seem so," Snape stated. "I am sure she will be very pleased to see you. I also imagine she will want some explanations from you; she is not a stupid woman, Draco, I have no doubt that she is aware that something has changed with you." Honestly he was rather amazed that the teenager had managed to hide his status as a submissive Erote for as long as he had.

Draco chuckled. "I imagine you are right," he conceded. "How do you think she will react to Harry?" he asked, looking up at the potions master, suddenly feeling a lot more anxious; he had no idea what happen if his mother couldn't accept his relationship with his mate.

"As reluctant as I am to ever compliment Mr Potter," Snape said with a sneer, "you do seem happy. I am sure that your mother will place a high value on that," he informed the teenager. He did not believe that Draco had anything to worry about.

"Thank you, Sir. I will let you get back to your... guest," Draco said, smirking at him with barely restrained laughter.

The potions master snorted in amusement before shaking his head and walking away; Draco was sure he heard Snape mumbled something that had sounded a lot like 'troublemaking children' as he went.


	8. Elucidation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

Draco blinked his eyes open and tried to work out what it was that had woken him. Harry was quietly snoring next to him, sprawled out on their bed and their room was still in darkness. He was uncomfortably warm, so he slid out from under the arm Harry had flung over his waist and their heavy winter covers.

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Draco scrabbled around till his hand came across his wand on the bedside table. A quick tempus charm told him that it was just after four in the morning. With a quiet groan of frustration Draco put his wand back and lay down on top of their bed covers.

His head was feeling slightly fuzzy and he felt on the edge of returning to sleep, but the strange heat was making him uncomfortable. He shifted, trying to relax and let out a small whine when he had to wipe the slight sheen off his forehead with the sleeve of his pyjamas; he really wanted to lie on his back but that wasn't particularly comfortable with his wings.

"Draco, you okay?" Harry asked sleepily, his concerned muttered words breaking the quiet of the room, as he rolled his head to face his blond boyfriend on the bed next to him.

Draco sighed, and silently cursed himself in his own mind; he really hadn't meant to wake Harry."I'm fine, go back to sleep," he said softly, reaching out running his fingers gently through Harry's hair, trying to lull him back to sleep.

"What time is it?" the stubborn Gryffindor asked, as he managed to force his eyes open, rubbing at them with the back of his hand. He smiled at the sensation of Draco's fingers in his hair, and reached up to take the hand in his own and brought it down to his lips so that he could press a kiss to the palm.

"A little after four," Draco told him, smiling fondly at how affectionate Harry could be even when half asleep. As much as he hadn't wanted to wake his boyfriend up, having Harry's company, even when sleepy, was better than lying there feeling sorry for himself.

"And you expect me to believe you are lying awake, fidgeting enough to wake me, at four in the morning because you are fine?" Harry asked, giving Draco a sceptical look as he mumbled a soft lumos spell and a dim light fell across the room.

"Damn it, Harry," Draco said with a flinch, pulling his hand from Harry's grasp and using it to hide his eyes from light as it hit him, even the small amount of light feeling bright in comparison to the former darkness. "A little warning..." he grumbled, as he slowly managed to ease the hand from in front of his face.

"Sorry," Harry said, looking guilty, as he reached out and brushed a few strands of blond hair away from Draco's face; as his fingers brushed over his boyfriend's skin, however, he couldn't help but notice that something wasn't right. "You're warm and sweaty," Harry pointed out, sitting up in bed a little, frowning in concern as he noticed that his boyfriend was lying on top of their bed covers. "Draco, it is November," he stated, "aren't you cold?"

Draco sighed, realising that Harry was going to worry no matter what he told him now, and so settled for the truth. "No, too warm actually," he admitted. "I think that's what woke me up; I can't get comfortable, I just feel too warm."

"Well then why did you tell me you are fine?" Harry asked, tutting affectionately as he summoned a small towel and cast aquamenti on it carefully, so as only to dampen it. "How am I supposed to help you, if you don't tell me when something is wrong?"

Draco sighed with relief as Harry gently pressed the damped towel to his forehead, the heat that seemed to be burning him from the inside out lessening somewhat. After a few minutes, Harry refolded the towel and pressed a different section of it to Draco's neck; the blonde tilted his head forward as he moaned with relief.

"Do you think you will be able to sleep anymore tonight?" Harry asked softly a few minutes later, discarding the small towel onto his own bedside table, as it was no longer cold to the touch.

There was no response and when he gently brushed Draco's hair away from his face, he could clearly see that his boyfriend had fallen back to sleep. Harry chuckled softly, smiling at the blond. "I will take that as a yes," he whispered.

Lying down next to Draco, Harry carefully checked the blond's forehead with the back of his hand and was relieved to find it a much more normal temperature.

"Sleep well, Draco," Harry said as he carefully pulled manoeuvred the covers from under his boyfriend, tucking him in lovingly. "Like it or not, we are taking you to Madam Pomfrey in the morning," Harry told the sleeping boy quietly, pressing a kiss to Draco's forehead before settling back down to get a few more hours sleep himself.

-#-

"Honestly, Harry," Draco said with exasperation, "I feel completely fine now, we don't have to..."

"We _are_ going to see Madam Pomfrey," Harry told him firmly, as he shook his head with amusement. He was leaning against the wall of their bedroom, trying discreetly to watch Draco , who had his back to him and was currently getting dressed.

Draco made a noise that made it quite clear how unhappy he was with that, turning to glare at Harry over his shoulder,  as he finished fastening his trousers. However, his scowl slowly morphed into a smirk as he realised that Harry's eyes were watching his arse. "See something you like, Harry?" he asked smugly.

Harry startled a little, realising that Draco was watching him too now, and looked up the beautiful body in front of him to see a very amused, but rather pleased expression on Draco's face. Harry's green eyes  widened and his face flushed at the sudden realisation that he had most definitely been caught ogling.

Draco picked up his shirt from where he had placed it on the edge of their now made bed, and moved over to where Harry was standing. He stopped just out of arm's reach from his boyfriend and slipped his arms into the sleeves, leaving the buttons undone and keeping eye contact the whole time. Harry looked like he was actually about to swoon right there in their bedroom, as his gaze drifted down over the pale skin he could see through the open shirt. They had grown used to seeing each other getting changed and Harry was well past the point where he could convincingly deny how attracted he was to Draco's body.

"Curse you for getting dressed so quickly," Draco said teasingly as he stepped forward and ran the tips of his fingers over Harry's fully clothed chest; despite the relative newness of their relationship, he knew the toned flesh that was hidden beneath.

Harry leaned down and pressed a kiss to Draco's pouting lips. "Perhaps it would best, if we were to stand any chance of actually leaving this room at some point today," he said, his voice coming out breathy, "that we are BOTH clothed." Draco chuckled at that and Harry reached out and started fastening the buttons of his boyfriend's shirt, before the sight could made him any harder than he already was.

Harry gave Draco another quick chaste kiss. "I need to use the bathroom real quick," he told the blond. "Then we will go see Madam Pomfrey, and hopefully still have time to get some breakfast."

Draco chuckled happily as he watched Harry head through the doorway into the bathroom; he was fairly sure that Harry's need for the bathroom had less to do with his bladder and far more to do with his appreciation of Draco's body.

-#-

"Ah, Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey greeted warmly as she looked up from the bed she was making to see them entering her domain. "I must say that I am surprised it has taken you this long to come and see me," she told them as they made their way along the medical wing towards her, hand-in-hand.

The two boys shared a confused look, a little surprised at the nurse having expected them and somewhat concerned that they had forgotten or overlooked something but followed the school nurse as she led them into her office.

"Do take a seat," she said kindly, gesturing to the two chairs in front of her desk as she moved around and took a seat on the far side. "So, tell me, how are you getting on, Mr Malfoy?" she asked kindly, knitting her fingers together as she leaned forward and leaned on the top of her desk.

"I'm doing okay," he answered slowly, sounding unsure about his own words; he felt a little daft for not having anticipated such an enquiry but found he didn't really know what to say. However, when Harry threw him a dirty look, he realised that his boyfriend wasn't going to let him get away with half truths and so spoke again. "I really have been mostly fine," he clarified a little defensively, glaring at Harry for a second before going on, "but I woke up at around four in the morning last night and felt like I was burning up; I feel completely fine now though."

The nurse chuckled softly. "That, Mr Malfoy, was a hot flash," she explained to him. "It is nothing to be concerned about and completely normal for someone who is pregnant; such things are to be expected given all the hormonal changes your body is going through."

"See, I told you I was fine," Draco told Harry with a pout. The idea that he was actually pregnant was still taking some getting used to, even though he had known the likelihood of it ever since he had come into his inheritance; sitting here discussing it with the school nurse was not exactly making him feel comfortable.

Harry rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's petulance, but was also smiling fondly. "But aren't you glad to know what it was?" he asked hopefully, not wanting Draco to actually be upset with him for dragging him to the medical wing against his protests; he was sure that his instincts would have driven him insane all day if they hadn't been given any answers. "Don't you feel better, knowing for certain that it is nothing to worry about?"

"Actually, I feel like sulking because this means it will probably happen again," Draco mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. He had been hopeful that it was just a one-time occurrence, but Madam Pomfrey's statement that it was normal and to be expected had blown that idea out the window.

Ignoring the sulking blonde, the nurse turned to the large bookshelf behind her and quickly removed a small, thin book, turning back to the teenagers and placing it on the desk in front of them. "You are correct, Mr Malfoy; there is a good chance that you will experience such hot flashes again at some point during your pregnancy," she informed them. "There are a few symptoms that you may experience in the coming months, but it will be nigh on impossible to predict exactly what or when."

"Great," Draco said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he looked down at his still completely flat stomach. "Thanks for this, baby, you better be worth all this trouble," he said with a scowl on his face.

Harry chuckled, knowing that the blond was joking around but stopped abruptly when Draco looked up and glared at him.

"Don't know what you think you're laughing at, mister," Draco said pointedly. "This is your fault; you're the one who buggered me," he went on, but couldn't help but smirk slightly as he added,  "both metaphorically and literally."

Harry's face flushed red at his boyfriend's crudeness. They hadn't really discussed what they knew to have happened that night much, it was just a little too weird with neither of them having any memory of it and too easy to just act like it never happened; at least for the moment.

"Shall we _try_ to stay on topic, boys?" Madam Pomfrey suggested quickly; not giving them a chance to object she tapped the book on her desk. "This book is all about male pregnancies; while it isn't specifically about Erote pregnancies, I still believe it will be a useful guide as they don't differ greatly from wizard ones," she told them.

Harry reached out a picked the small book up from the desk, eyeing it with curiosity. It was simply titled 'Male Pregnancy: A guide', and, when he flipped to the contents page, seemed to be rather detailed despite its size. Draco leaned closer to him, looking at the book too.

"I went to great effort to get that for you," the nurse told them sternly, "so I would like you _both_ to read it." Her eyes narrowed at Harry as she spoke; she trusted that Draco would read it as it was about what was happening to his body, but they would get through this pregnancy a lot easier if Harry was also well-informed.

"Okay, I promise," Harry agreed, nodding his head. He found that he was actually rather curious about what the book might be able to tell him, but he slipped it into his robe pocket to look at later and returned his attention back to the nurse.

"Excellent," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile. "Now, as I said, I had expected you back here sooner, simply because I thought that you would have had difficult managing Draco's magical energy levels." As she said this expressions of understanding crossed both Harry and Draco's faces. "However, it seems that the pair of you have sussed that out for yourselves," she said looking torn between proud and amused. It was clear that the two teenagers were managing to make their relationship work despite the difficulties they had in their past.

The two boys nodded quickly, hoping she wasn't about to start quizzing them on this further. It was bad enough knowing that a lot of people, including maybe of the professors, knew what they were doing in various corners of the school, but neither of them wanted to sit and have a discussion about it, especially with the nurse.

"Okay," she said, apparently content to leave it at that. "If there is nothing else, let's talk you through some of the other symptoms you are most likely to experience, then you can go get some breakfast. Sadly because your body is used to male hormone levels it is likely you will experience more severe symptoms than a pregnant woman, but as every pregnancy is different, we just won't know until they happen."

Draco groaned quietly; that didn't sound good. Harry nodded his understanding; he didn't like that their unborn child would cause Draco difficulties, but it seemed pretty inevitable.

"It is possible that at some point in upcoming months you will feel, in addition to the hot flashes we mentioned, some nausea or maybe even sickness," the nurse told him. "It is also likely that you will have increases or decreases in appetite, and cravings for different foods; I would suggest you trust your body and, within reason, let your instincts guide you in this regard," she suggested.

Harry and Draco both nodded, and she went on. "It is also possible that you will have dramatic or unexpected changes in mood with no apparent cause." Harry looked a little nervous about this, thinking that his boyfriend was quite unpredictable enough already with hormone-influenced mood swings. "Many pregnant individuals also experience a frequent need to pee, overly sensitive taste or smell, exhaustion and changes in sex drive."

 "Oh, that just all sounds delightful," Draco said sarcastically. "This really is going to be a fun few months, isn't it?" he said, sighing as he leaned back in his chair.

"Probably," Harry admitted with a wry smile, feeling a little guilty that it was Draco that was the one who would have to suffer through it all. "But I will be right here with you so I can help when I can," he promised, thinking that it was the least he could do really and he reached out, squeezing Draco's arm gently in support. "And so you can yell at me when I can't," he added.

"Oooh, I'm allowed to yell at you," Draco teased, giving Harry a playful grin, "I didn't think of that. Thanks, dear, I do feel a bit better now," he added, chuckling to himself. Harry groaned; he was quite sure that the blond was already thinking up lists of things that he could get away with berating him for. It seemed that Draco was probably right; it really was going to be a 'fun' few months.

"Oh, one last thing before you go," Madam Pomfrey said, getting their attention back on her. "Have either of you worked out approximately when this baby is actually due?"

Harry and Draco glanced at each other, before looking back to the nurse and shaking their heads. It was quite clear from their expressions that they were both a little surprised at themselves for not having thought to do this for themselves; it was a pretty huge milestone in their not so distant future after all.

"Not to worry," she assured them both quickly, pulling out both a piece of parchment and her wand. "Okay, so given the conception was in the second week of November," she said, seemingly talking mainly to herself as she tapped her wand on a piece of parchment, seemingly making some quick calculations, "your child is due... at the end of July or perhaps the beginning of August."

"Well on the plus side at least we will still be able to finish sixth year before the baby is born," Harry pointed out, though it was strange to think that they would be parents early next summer.

"And at least this isn't our N.E.W.T. year," Draco added, looking profoundly relieved by that. "I think I might have killed you if I had had to sit my N.E.W.T.s whilst eight months pregnant," the blond told him.

Harry nodded in agreement, but a pensive frown began to form on his face a moment later as he tried to imagine what their life would be like after their child was born."What are we going to do next year, Draco?" he asked worriedly. "We'll have a one month old baby when term starts; how are we going to manage?"

"That is a conversation I would suggest you both need to have with Professor Dumbledore," Madam Pomfrey said, interrupting before Draco had a chance to respond; she was glad that they were thinking about and discuss such matters, but she had a medical wing to run and was not the person to help them with it. "For now though, I suggest you both go and have breakfast," she told them, getting out of her seat to encourage them out of office.

The two teenagers got the message and so, with thanks, they left the nurse to her business. "Don't forget to read the book I gave you," the nurse called after them, as they left her office, and the two of them turned to look back at her with a smile.

"What _are_ we going to do about next year, Harry?" Draco asked nervously, taking Harry's hand as they headed out of the medical wing.

"I don't know, Draco," Harry admitted, not sure that they could juggle being parents and studying for their N.E.W.T.s, "but we will work something out. If we have to, one of us will just have to put off studying for a year. We will talk to Dumbledore about it later, okay?" Harry suggested, hoping that the headmaster would have a few ideas about what to do.

"Okay," Draco agreed with a sigh, glad they at least had some time to figure this out before it was going to become a problem. He chuckled a little embarrassedly, pressing a hand to his belly  as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"But right now," Harry said, laughing a little, "I think we need to get you some breakfast."

-#-

Snape was sat in his usual seat at the teacher's table in the Great Hall, eating his breakfast and ignoring the various students also in the room; it was too early to be dealing with children. He frowned as his breakfast was interrupted by an owl dropping a note in front of him and quickly recognised the headmaster's handwriting; he rather thought it was too early to be dealing with meddlesome headmasters too, but with a resigned sigh, picked the letter up and opened it anyway.

He read it over, showing no sign of a reaction to what the letter said; he knew that he could never be certain who was watching when in a room with so many people. As he reached the end of it, he folded it and slid it into a pocket inside the breast pocket of his robes as he got up from his seat and headed down the length of the Slytherin table.

"Mr Malfoy," Snape said quietly, leaning down and speaking close to Draco's ear so that no-one else would be able to overhear. "Your mother is currently in the Headmaster's office; come with me."

Draco quickly downed the rest of his goblet of juice without even turning to look at his Head of House and got up from his seat. Pansy, who was sat next to him, and Blaise, who was on the other side of the table, both gave him questioning looks, which he just answered with a reassuring smile. Neither of them seemed too worried about him, probably because he was going with Snape.

 As Draco followed the potions master, he looked over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione caught his eye and nudged Harry. Green eyes looked up, meeting Draco's, watching the blond following Snape from the hall; Draco waved a hand to indicate that Harry should follow them.

"What's going on?" Harry asked his boyfriend, having had to jog to catch up with Draco and Snape in the Entrance Hall, the potions master leading the way, a few steps ahead of them.

"My mother is in Dumbledore's office," Draco explained quietly as they followed the potions master up the stairs. He reached out and took Harry's hand in his own, glad to have him there for support.

"That's great," Harry said enthusiastically, smiling broadly at the news that Narcissa Malfoy had managed to get away from Voldemort safely. However, his smile faltered slightly when he realised they were about to have to explain a whole lot to the woman. "Should I be nervous?" he asked, tightening his hold on the smaller hand in his own.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Draco confessed, walking a bit closer to Harry than before. "But I know I am," he said in a quiet voice, looking up at Harry with wide grey eyes. He tucked himself into the dominant's side, Harry's fingers brushing lightly against purple feathers as he wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders and held him close.

"What have you got to be nervous about?" Harry asked softly, a small confused frown on his face. Draco looking to him for comfort was fairly normal since they had come into their inheritances, but the blond wasn't usually quite so obvious about it. "You're her son, I am sure she will just be pleased to see you," he told Draco confidently.

"I am also Lucius' son, and you saw how well he reacted to just my wings," Draco pointed out. The words were so softly spoken that Harry was barely able to hear them, and he could see the pain that truth caused, in Draco's eyes.

Harry gave his mate a wry and almost apologetic smile. "Okay, that is a fair point," he conceded. "But she isn't your father," he went on before Draco could work himself up into a state, "and no matter what, I'm not going anywhere," he promised. Harry pressed a kiss to the top of Draco's head; he couldn't guarantee how Narcissa would react, but he could at least offer his boyfriend that much.

"Thank you," Draco said earnestly, grateful for Harry's reassurance. He hated that he was feeling anxious and vulnerable like he did now, but he consoled himself that he had often felt fear and had always got through it before; and that was before he had his own personal, recklessly brave Gryffindor at his side.

"Besides," Harry added, grinning a little, "Snape will be there to sneer at her if she gets too bad," he  said, speaking just loud enough to be sure that the professor heard him.

Snape turned to look at the pair of them over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing into a glare directed primarily at Harry.

"See, look, he's practicing already," Harry said with a chuckle and a grin.

Draco laughed  and shook his head at Harry's silliness and gave his boyfriend a small teasing shove; he didn't really thinking that winding up Snape was particularly wise, but thankfully it seemed the potions master wasn't taking it too badly. Draco smiled as Snape simply narrowed his eyes further before turning back to look where he was going, pointedly ignoring the two boys following him.

They walked in silence the rest of the way, until they reached the Gargoyle protecting the headmaster's office. "Acid Pops," Snape said with disdain, giving the Gargoyle the password and causing it to shift, revealing the staircase up to the office.

"Severus... what is...?" Narcissa started to ask, but stopped mid-sentence when she caught sight of the two boys entering behind the potions master.

"Mother," Draco greeted happily, glad to see her safe and well, but nervously not moving from his spot next to Harry near the door. He felt like he had already lost one parent and he wasn't sure he could face rejection from his mother as well.

"Draco, oh thank goodness," Narcissa said, his attention fixed entirely on her son as she held her arms out towards him. For a moment Draco hesitated, but then he stepped around Snape and wrapped his arms around her, as she embraced him in her arms.

"Draco, dear," she said a few moments later, as she pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on her son's arms, as looked at him closely. "Why do you have wings?" she asked in a tense but calm voice.

"That, Narcissa," Snape said before Draco had a chance to answer, "is rather the central point of why I asked you to come here. There is much to be discussed," Snape told her. Narcissa turned to face the potions master with a stern gaze that demanded answers, though she kept her gentle hold on her son's arms.

"Perhaps we should all have a seat," Dumbledore offered as he summoned four chairs in front of his desk. Severus and Harry quickly sat themselves in the chairs on each end, Draco taking the one next to Harry and Narcissa sat herself between her son and the potions master.

"Draco, what is going on?"Narcissa asked firmly when nobody started explaining. She was growing increasingly worried the longer they were avoiding telling her anything.

"Have you ever heard of Erotes?" he asked her, whilst staring at the floor in front of him. He hoped that she might know at least the basics of the legend as then he might not have to explain quite as much.

Narcissa was watching her son closely when she spoke. "Of course, but they're a myth; what does....?" Her eyes moved over her son, taking in his long hair and wings. "Not a myth?" she managed to ask after a few moments.

"Not a myth," Snape confirmed when neither Harry nor Draco said anything; Dumbledore seemed quite content to sit and watch the conversation unfold for the moment.

"And you, Mr Potter... " Narcissa said, gesturing in Harry's direction, "... are here because you're..."

"Bonded to Draco, yes," Harry finished for her with a firm nod. He reached out and gently grasped Draco's hand, making a point of looking Narcissa in the eye in his determination to be supportive to hi s boyfriend.

"I don't understand," Narcissa said, looking between the two teenagers in shock and sounding slightly faint. "How can this be?" she asked, looking to Snape and then the headmaster.

"It seems that on his sixteenth birthday Draco came into his inheritance as an Erote," Dumbledore told her when no-one else seemed to want to explain, his fingers knitted together as he leaned forwards on his desk. “Now, I don't know how much you know but..."

"I thought the legends said that Erotes only came into their inheritance when a submissive called to them," Narcissa said, looking back to her son with her confusion written plainly on her face.

"That is true, all dominant Erotes come into their inheritance when called..." Dumbledore tried again to explain.

"And Draco is a submissive..." Narcissa said with a small sigh of realisation at what she was being told. Now that she had said it and as she looked between the two teenagers, it seemed suddenly so obvious,  and not just because of the size difference between them but also in how Potter was clearly so protective of her son.

The room was heavy with the tension of them waiting for Narcissa to speak, for any indication of how she was going to react to such news. Draco looked up at her slowly, hesitantly, and the fear in his eyes almost broke her heart.

"Does your father know?" she asked sure that Lucius would not react at all well to such news about his only son and heir.

"That is a somewhat.... complicated issue, Narcissa," Snape told her, and she turned to him with an expression that demanded answers. "Issues which I will explain," he added hastily "but there is something else you should probably understand about Harry and Draco's bond before we move on," Snape told her, turning all their attention back to the two boys.

"Draco?" Narcissa prompted, seeing her son's continued anxiety.

"Well," he said, clearly trying to find his courage, "with Erote bondings, like you said, a submissive calls for a dominant." This much she already knew, so Narcissa simply nodded, and gestured for him to continue. "When that dominant finds the submissive... well..." Draco trailed off uncomfortably, praying he wouldn't have to say anything more.

"Well..." Narcissa said, continuing to look at him expectedly but, when her eyes flickered to Harry and noticed the blush on his face, something clicked into place. "Oh," she said with wide-eyed realisation.  "I am unclear as to why such information needed to be shared with me, however," she said primly; such intimate matters were not something that she had been raised to discuss.

"I'm pregnant," Draco blurted out suddenly, his pale cheeks becoming flushed. He hadn't meant to blurt it out like that but he hadn't wanted her to think that he had been discussing such things for no reason.

"Excuse me?" Narcissa asked; she was staring at her son in disbelief. Surely she had misheard him; she knew that male pregnancies were possible and happened occasionally, but almost always with the aid of complex potions and spells; not to mention that Draco was only sixteen years old, far too young for such things.

"All successful Erote bondings result in a pregnancy," Draco explained, wanting to make it clear that this wasn't something that either he or Harry had chosen, that they had had no say in the matter at all really. "It is something about creating an unbreakable bond."

Narcissa didn't miss the fond smiles that Draco and Harry shared at those words. She felt conflicted; they were living in dangerous times and her son was now bound to the very boy who was in the centre of it all. And apparently they were to bring their own child into the world, a child whose other parent had a muggle born mother.

It was not what she had wanted for her son, and yet, the way that Draco looked at Harry Potter spoke volumes; she could tell that Draco was happy and, more than anything in this world, Narcissa Malfoy wanted her son to be safe and happy.

She was not sure how long she sat there staring at her sixteen year old son, whilst he watched her apprehensively but when he started to look away sadly, turning towards Potter in search of comfort,  she realised she could no longer remain silent, and so spoke up. "It will be okay, Draco," Narcissa said confidently, as she reached out and took his free hand in hers; the other remained firmly in Harry's. The smile Draco gave her then was priceless to her. "Are you happy?" she asked.

Draco's eyes again flicked to Harry. "More than I thought I could be," he told her, his smile turning into a smirk. "Especially considering I got stuck with the epitome of Gryffindors."

"Cheeky sod," Harry remarked affectionately, kissing the back of the hand held in his.

"Well then you have my support, Draco," Narcissa informed him, hoping that she was not going to come to regret it; there was a part of her that wanted to drag her son from the school and take him to Paris with her, hide him away there. However, she knew that would be for naught; he would still be bonded to Potter and pregnant with his mate's child, only without the protection of his dominant. "I just want you safe and happy," Narcissa informed him.

In a rather uncharacteristic display of relief and gratitude, Draco practically threw himself at his mother, tears in his eyes as he held onto her as though his life depended on it. The other occupants of the room stayed silent, allowing them their moment and a few minutes later the blond sat back down, looking somewhat embarrassed at his display of affection.

"Can we just put that down to unstable pregnancy hormones?" he requested with a nervous, self-deprecating chuckle.

"Of course," Harry told him, glaring at the others as if daring them to contradict him.

"So, tell me, Draco, how far along are you?" Narcissa asked, not wanting to dwell on their moment any more than Draco did.

"Only about a month," Draco told her, hand resting on his still flat belly. It felt as though time had been moving strangely; the last month had passed quickly, but at the same time it felt as though he had Harry had been together for much longer and the time before that fateful night felt like a lifetime ago.

"So that means..." Narcissa said, pausing to do a quick calculation in her head, "... late July?"

Draco nodded in confirmation. "Or maybe the start of August," he added thinking back to what Madam Pomfrey had told them earlier that morning. "The start of the summer anyway."

"Well, do not worry; I shall be there to help, if at all possible," Narcissa promised. "After all, I wish to be one of the first to meet my grandchild. Though I must ask, what about your studies next year? How do you intend to complete your N.E.W.T.s with a small baby to take care of?"

"Admittedly, we haven't quite worked out all the details yet," Harry confessed, wishing that they had thought to discuss it sooner so that he might have been able to give Narcissa a real answer. "We were saying just this morning that we needed to speak with Professor Dumbledore about that," he added, glancing to the headmaster.

"Of course, boys, we will find some time soon to formulate a plan of sorts," Dumbledore told them with his usual twinkle in his eye. "Do not let this worry you, for I am confident that we will figure out a suitable solution."

"And what of your father, Draco?" Narcissa asked sadly, keen to get the answers she had been promised. "We both know that you will be unable to return home now; you know the danger that waits there," she said, though the cryptic words were unnecessary as they all knew exactly of whom she spoke. "Lucius will not take this news well. Am I to assume that that is the reason why you never told us of your inheritance, and why you so adamantly refused everything he asked of you?"

Draco nodded. "This changes everything, Mother, I know you can see that," he told her, beseeching her to understand why he had defied his father when he had been raised to be obedient. "And you are correct, he did not take it at all well," he added sadly.

Narcissa's eyes widened. "So he does know?" she queried wondering how it was that Lucius had been informed before she had.

"Not about the pregnancy," Draco told her, "and perhaps not even exactly what I am, but he knows I am changed and that I am with Harry. Father was still hoping I would change my mind; though I suppose that simply explaining that he couldn't get his own son to act for the cause wasn't an option," Draco said sadly, realising that his father hadn't had many options either.

"He warned me that he was going to come here, to Hogwarts," Draco went on, "to fetch me from school and bring me into line. That was why we warned you to get away from him, from the Manor; whatever was going to happen when he arrived here was always going to leave you in a dangerous position."

"Thank you for that," Narcissa told him fondly, smiling at him kindly. "So he came here, you have seen him, spoken with him?" she asked, encouraging her son to keep going; she needed to know what had happened, so that she could act accordingly, because Draco was right; this changed everything.

"He turned up a few days ago," Draco told her, as he reached for Harry's hand without even seeming to notice that he had done so. "He was angry, of course, and that only got worse when he saw my wings. He doesn't even know about the baby and he already hates me." Draco shook his head sadly as he told her this, not really wanting to admit how much that hurt.

"He figured out pretty quickly that me and Harry are together," the blond went on, stubbornly determined to get through this story without his hormones getting the better of him. "It was hard to miss when Harry practically dropped out of the sky, wings and wand out, every bit the pissed-off dominant," Draco explained, chuckling at the memory; Harry really had looked like a force to be reckoned with.

"What did you do to my husband?" Narcissa asked, narrowing her eyes at Harry.

"Actually, Narcissa, Potter didn't actually do anything to Lucius," Snape told her with a scowl, as if Harry's lack of involvement was deliberately done, just to deny him the joy of watching Narcissa's fury.

"I'm sorry, mother," Draco said, turning her attention back to him once more. "He was saying such terrible things, about me being with another guy, about me being with Harry, and he was hurting me, holding me so tight, and he wouldn't let go..." Draco rambled.

"What did you do?" Narcissa asked, her voice soft and almost slightly fearful; she was unused to seeing her son quite so nervous and was worried what he could have done to make him act so guilty.

"I might have made him fall in love with Professor Snape," Draco mumbled under his breath.

Narcissa stared at her son for a moment, as the words sunk in, but, a second later, she almost howled with laughter; Draco watched her with slight alarm, his mother's normally dignified manner thrown out the window as she threw her head back and gave a loud and genuine laugh, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Glad this amuses you so, Narcissa," Snape sneered sarcastically, his expression stern and emotionless.

"Severus, I imagine that, despite appearances, you are quite delighted," Narcissa said with a knowing smirk that looked remarkably like the one that Draco was trying to hide. "After all, it was always something of an open secret that you envied my place at his side." She winked at the potions master before turning her attention back to her son. "As much as this amuses me, I must ask how you managed to achieve such a thing."

"Oh, it is an Erote thing," Draco explained, clearly more comfortable now his mother's mood had proved to be so buoyant. "I can use my wings to make anyone who touches them fall in love; I am fairly sure it is supposed to be temporary but I might have been a bit to forceful, given that the effect has yet to wear off and father does seem rather obsessed still."

Draco gave an half-heartedly apologetic shrug as he said this.

"It's okay, Draco," Narcissa assured him. "You know that I care a great deal for your father but I am sure that it will be no surprise to you, when I say our marriage has been far from right for either of us, for some time. I assume you have Lucius somewhere secure?" she asked, knowing that her husband would likely seek out revenge when or if Draco's magic wore off.

"I have been taking care of him in the dungeons," Snape informed her bluntly. " _NOT_ in that way, thank you, Narcissa," he added with exasperation, when she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well don't hold back for my sake, Severus," Narcissa told him. "I was going to suggest that whilst Lucius is in such a co-operative state that now might be an opportune time to finally put an end to our marriage," she suggested, watching Draco closely for a reaction as she spoke.

"If it is what you want, mother, then that is fine with me," Draco told her with a genuine smile; he just wanted her to be happy, though he did appreciate that she had wanted to make sure that it was okay with him. "I believe Adrien will also be in favour of that," he added, a little smugly.

"You know...?" Narcissa asked, shock in her voice. She had thought that she had been discreet with her lover, but apparently she had not succeeded as much as she had believed.

"Yes, of course," Draco informed her, though he was still smiling. "You are not nearly as good at sneaking around as you think you are and, for what it is worth, I believe father has at least suspected for some time."

"Well I suppose this is for the best for everyone then," Narcissa said with a sigh. If Lucius suspected and had done nothing to stop her from seeing Adrien, then surely he knew that their marriage was over as much as she did.

"You do not have to do this, Narcissa., Snape reminded her. He remembered well how in love the two of them had been in their youth and didn't want her to truly end it with Lucius unless she was sure that was truly what she desired.

"I want to, Severus," she assured him. "Do not get me wrong, I am sad for the ending of an era of my life, but not for the end of my marriage." She smiled softly at him, before turning to the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore, would you be so kind as to assist with my divorce?"

"Of course, Narcissa," the headmaster agreed. "Shall we head to the dungeons?" Dumbledore stood, the others following suit.

"Draco, I really am very glad to see you so well and happy," Narcissa told him earnestly, embracing her son in her arms. "However," she went on, holding him at arm's length and meeting his eye,  "I do not wish you to be witness to me and your father getting divorced..."

"It's okay, mother," Draco said, nodding his understanding. "Harry and I should probably go to class anyway," he pointed out. "I believe we are already late." Draco paused, trying to work out how to voice his concerns, his fears. "You are going to go back to Paris and stay safe right?" he asked quietly after a few moments, aware of the supportive presence of Harry close by at his shoulder.

Narcissa gave him a small nod of her head. "Do not worry about me, Draco, I will stay safe," she told him. "I promise," she added when he continued to look at her with sad, fearful eyes. "I only ask that you focus on keeping yourself and your young family safe too," she told him firmly before turning to Harry. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter."

"It's Harry, and it really was lovely to meet you too, Mrs Malfoy," Harry said politely.

"Well given that I will soon no longer be Mrs Malfoy, Harry," she said with a kind smile, "and that we are now practically family, you may call me Narcissa."

"Of course," Harry agreed.  "Thank you... Narcissa."

Draco threaded his fingers with Harry's as they all headed for the door out of the office, leaning into his mate's side; he couldn't help the pure relief he felt at the meeting having gone so well.

"Take care of him, Harry," Narcissa requested quickly as the two groups headed off in different directions, Dumbledore, Snape and Narcissa towards the dungeons, and Harry and Draco towards their next class.

Harry turned and smiled at her. "Always," he promised, before turning to smile at Draco. "Always."


	9. Extrication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

Narcissa followed Severus, with the Headmaster walking aimlessly behind them, along the corridors of Hogwarts school; it was strange, as she had not really spent any time in the castle since she had completed her N.E.W.T.s over two decades earlier. Of course the place had not really changed at all and the walk from the headmaster's office towards the dungeons still felt oddly familiar.

They walked in silence; Severus had never been particularly talkative and she was glad now for the few moments to gather her thoughts. She had a lot to take in with everything she had just been told and she wanted to be clear-headed when facing Lucius. It had been less than a week since she had last seen her husband, and yet it felt much longer. Draco may have accidentally forced her hand but she found that she was not sorry for the direction her life was about to take.

Her son had been right, she was sure, when he had speculated that Adrien would not be disappointed with this turn of events; her lover had already suggested on multiple occasions that she leave Lucius. However, she had always feared losing Draco and so had refused; she had feared that she would simply be thrown out of  the Malfoy family and left with no money, no place in society and denied access to her own child.

As such, she had always opted to stay in her marriage, despite it having long since lost what love there once had been between them; it had been arranged by their families, of course, and they had had to learn to care for each other, but the years and circumstance had made that fade. Now, however, she had a chance to break free from Lucius' hold on her. This was her opportunity and she was not going to let it pass her by.

When they reached Severus' quarters, the potions master mumbled the password too quietly for her to hear. Narcissa chuckled to herself; Severus was such a Slytherin to his very core, and she wasn't surprised that he wouldn't even let her, a friend of more than two decades, hear the password, not wanting to take the chance of anyone other than himself being able to enter his private quarters.

The portrait swung open and Severus politely waved Narcissa and Dumbledore inside. The rooms were dark and windowless, and the contents only became visible when the potions master lit the various torches, around the walls, with a simple wordless flick of his wand.

"Severus?" a whimpering voice called out softly and all three of them turned towards the door where the voice had come from. Severus moved forward and pulled the door open revealing the tall blond form of Lucius Malfoy, pressing himself against the bars in the doorway, which were preventing him from leaving.

"Yes, Lucius?" Severus asked, looking slightly sad at the sight of the formerly proud, stubborn man pleading like a kicked puppy.

It was then though, that Lucius seemed to realise that they were not alone, his eyes shifting from Severus' face to those of the two people behind him. "Narcissa?" Lucius queried, as if struggling to remember something important.

 "Indeed," Severus confirmed wearily, a little hopeful that being around Narcissa might bring some of the true Lucius back; though he felt torn even in that desire, knowing that it would probably also be the end of the enchantment Draco had put on him. "I have brought some guests with me," he said, gesturing to Narcissa and Dumbledore, "they have business they would like to discuss with you."

Lucius' eyes were once again on the dark haired man he was currently in love with, his focus completely on Severus as the words were spoken. He neither knew, nor much cared, what business the other two people in the room had with him but it seemed that Severus wished him to speak with them and so he nodded obediently.

"Lucius?" Narcissa asked hesitantly as she stepped forward; as funny as she had found the idea of Draco making Lucius fall in love with Severus, the reality of it felt far less amusing. "You remember me, right?" she asked, wondering just how much of his mind had been affected.

He nodded once. "Of course," Lucius stated. "You are Narcissa Malfoy; we are married and have a son together. Those are not things one simply forgets," he told her bluntly, as though she was foolish for ever having doubted him.

"But you wish it wasn't so? You wish that we were not married?" Narcissa persisted, reminding herself that she soon would be free from his grasp and would no longer have to tolerate his rudeness. "You do not love me but rather fancy yourself in love with another."

Lucius frowned slightly, clearly considering this for a moment before he nodded. "I love our son but we should not be married," he agreed. "I wish to be with Severus and no other," he clarified.

Severus was unable to hold back his flinch at those words. For so long, so very long, he had hoped  to hear Lucius say these things and now that the man was, it was all marred by the fact that it was due to being under Draco's Erote influence. Somehow, Severus thought that was even more painful than if the tall blond had never said it at all.

"I will grant you this, Lucius, I will agree to a divorce, " Narcissa told him; her husband looked pleased but she was not done and she was going to have this divorce happen her way. "We will be divorced today, but I will be given enough money and property to remain well kept for the rest of my life."

Lucius nodded curtly; that was a small price to pay to be free from his marriage and, in truth, it would barely dent his coffers to meet such a demand. Of course, it was not much of a surprise to him when Narcissa went on.

"You will not speak badly of me in regards to our separation," she told him sternly. "I will not have you telling people that this was my fault or that I was a bad wife; if they ask, you left me due to your own desire to lie with men," Narcissa told him with a smirk, slightly surprised when Lucius didn't hesitate to nod in agreement once more.

Behind them Dumbledore could be heard to be creating the divorce documents they would require, adding the conditions that were being discussed. Narcissa privately thought that Lucius might come to regret his agreement to that particular condition, but that was no longer her problem.

"And one final thing," Narcissa said, stiffening her resolve; this was the thing that concerned her most. "You will never keep me from Draco, or any of Draco's family; he will remain legally my son, and his children, legally my grandchildren."

Lucius did hesitate this time, taking his time to consider his soon to be ex-wife's demand. Draco was his heir, his only child. Of course he was not happy that the boy was deformed, with the strange addition and yet to be explained addition of his wings, but Draco was of his blood, was his family's legacy; he would not have some ex-wife destroy or even damage that simply because the boy had grown in her womb.

"I will agree as long as Draco retains the Malfoy name," Lucius snarled after a few minutes, realising this was a make or break point for the woman before him. He could agree to her terms as long as his legacy was not destroyed in the process.

"I will not change him from a Malfoy," Narcissa promised, and Lucius definitely looked somewhat relieved at this. "However," she added, a stern expression on her face, "I will not have a clause that prevents him changing it of his own will."

Lucius furrowed his brow. "Why would Draco choose to change his name?" he demanded to know, narrowing his eyes at Narcissa in suspicion. "I will not have you turn my son and heir against me, woman," he snarled angrily, pressing himself more firmly against the bars which restrained him.

"I will do no such thing," Narcissa reassured him, schooling her expression emotionless and blank; she was determined to hold back the smirk she felt at knowing more about her son's present relationship than her soon to be ex-husband. Lucius was far from the only Slytherin in their family, and she too relished the feeling of power and control. "I simply meant that should our son choose to marry another and take their name, then I will not have anything in our divorce papers which prevents him from making that choice for himself," Narcissa clarified.

"Potter," Lucius snarled under his breath. "I will not see my son married to that half-blooded brat," he stated firmly, looking livid at the very idea.

Draco had said told Narcissa that Lucius was aware of his relationship with Harry, so it was not too much of a surprise to her that her soon to be ex-husband had caught the implication behind her words; though it seemed that he remained unaware that the two of them were actually bonded, given his shock at the suggestion of them having a future together.

"You will have no say in the matter," Narcissa retorted confidently. "Our son got his determination to get whatever he wants from both sides of the family. I am sure he will come and explain the... situation... to you at some point soon," she told him smugly, knowing how much Lucius hated to be kept in the dark on anything.

Lucius' eyes narrowed in anger, but Narcissa remained composed, and so his gaze drifted to the other two occupants of the room. "You know what is going on," he stated, seeing both Severus and Dumbledore watching him curiously. "Severus, you know what has happened to Draco?" he asked, a degree of desperation in his voice. "Severus, please; I have to know."

"In time, Lucius," Severus said, his voice calm and collected. "As Narcissa said, Draco will tell you when he is ready. But first we must deal with the matter of your divorce," he said, keen to get the conversation back on track; he could feel a coil of tension in his gut at the anticipation of the man he loved being almost legally available, though he kept it carefully hidden behind his usual facade. "Do you accept Narcissa's terms?" he asked.

Lucius frowned, not liking that he was being denied the truth about his son, but keen to be done with his marriage. "Very well," Lucius said with a nod of his head, as he turned back to Narcissa, "I agree to your terms."

Narcissa smiled, genuinely pleased and relieved. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "You might not believe me, or even care, but I want you to know that I do not regret marrying you," she told him. "Even if only for you giving me our Draco." Lucius gave a pompous huff of acknowledgement but said nothing more.

"If you will just sign here," Dumbledore requested a few seconds later, as he finished creating the legal documents they needed. He held out a quill to Narcissa when she turned to look at him, which she promptly took, signing where the headmaster instructed. She and Severus watched eagerly as Dumbledore instructed Lucius to do the same.

And then it was done; she was legally Narcissa Black once more, a free woman to be with whoever she so chose. She smiled at Severus, who seemed to be thinking far too hard; she could see the self-doubt and confusion in his eyes even though his face showed nothing.

Narcissa pulled the potions master into a hug and felt him stiffen at the sudden embrace. "Do not miss your chance," she told him sternly, her voice quiet as she spoke only for him. "Lucius is a stubborn man and will never confess to feelings he has always been taught were forbidden." And with that said, she pulled away and smiled at Severus again. "Be brave, Severus," she told him, taking his hand in hers and gently patting the back of it, "do not deny yourself what you want when it is quite literally asking to be taken."

Severus felt rooted to the spot, and rather lost for words as Narcissa released her gentle hold on his hand. He had still not managed to find his voice when Narcissa Black, smug expression firmly in place, turned and quickly left the room.

'Be brave,' he scoffed to himself over her words; he was not some reckless Gryffindor. However, the temptation was right there and he couldn't help but sigh as he glanced at the imprisoned blond man, who he had wanted for far too long.

"I shall leave you to your thoughts, Severus," Dumbledore said a moment later, "though, for what it is worth, I believe Narcissa's point has a good deal of merit, and you would do well to give it serious consideration. After all, it does not do to only dream when we have the option to truly live," Dumbledore told him with annoyingly knowing and twinkly eyes.

Severus nodded curtly. "Goodnight, headmaster," he said a little stiffly, not entirely appreciating the impertinence of the man's meddling, and he was quite glad when Dumbledore took his leave. Though this meant that once again he was left alone with Lucius Malfoy; He looked back towards the barred room and watched as those grey eyes begged him silently for attention.

'I am so doomed,' Severus thought to himself as he closed his eyes and simultaneously praised and cursed the fates which had led to him having that man locked in his rooms.

-#-

"Harry, do you mind if I have a few hours in our rooms alone?" Draco asked as they were leaving their last class of the day. "I just need some time to think," he explained quickly, when Harry turned to him, not wanting his boyfriend to worry. It had been a long day after all.

"Of course," Harry agreed without hesitation, though he was frowning in concern. "If you're sure... I mean,  you will tell me if there is anything I can do to help right?" he asked, needing to know that the blond wasn't going to start trying to handle everything by himself. Though, when he took half a second to think about it, he didn't think that was particularly likely; it was more Draco's style to let someone else deal with the problems for him.

"I will," Draco promised sincerely. "It's just with all that happened with my father earlier this week, everything that Madam Pomfrey told us and then seeing and talking with my mother this morning... I just need some space," he explained, leaning up and kissing Harry chastely.

"I'll ask one of the house elves to bring you some dinner in our rooms, if you'd like," Harry suggested, not wanting Draco to go without. "I'll spend the evening with the guys in Gryffindor tower," he told him, thinking that he had perhaps abandoned his friends a little too much in his determination to take proper care of Draco. "I should probably spend some time with them anyway."

Draco smiled gratefully, and Harry was glad to see the emotion of it reached his blond's eyes. "Thank you, I will see you later," Draco said, leaning in close, glad that Harry wasn't going to fuss. "Don't tell anyone but I am probably going to need a hug," the blond confided

Harry chuckled. "Sure thing, any time," he promised, leaning down to press teasing kisses to the corner of Draco's mouth. "You should know, I come with an unlimited supply of hugs," he said, a smile on his face.

Draco chuckled a little; the two of them had both really taken to just cuddling, something that neither of them would openly admit to anyone. "I just might hold you to that one day," Draco said, smirking slightly as he headed off towards the Slytherin common room.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked as she stepped up next to Harry, watching the Slytherin boy leave.

"He will be, just had a long week," Harry told her. He too continued to watch Draco until the blond disappeared around the corner, and only then turned to smile at his friend.

"We waiting for someone?" Ron asked as he, Dean, Seamus and Neville reached them.

"Nope," Harry told them happily, as they all started up the Grand Staircase towards Gryffindor tower. It was strange not having Draco at his side but he did his best to put it from his mind. "You guys fancy an exploding snap tournament this evening?" he suggested, keen to make the most of the time with his friends.

"You sure your Slytherin doesn't need you?" Seamus asked with a teasing wink.

"Not this evening," Harry told them serious, ignoring Seamus' implications. He really didn't consider it anyone's business what he and Draco did when alone, and was happy to just let them believe whatever they wanted. "It's been way too long since I spent time with you guys," Harry said with a grin, "I am all yours for the next few hours at least," he promised.

"Great, 'cause you're so much better at spotting when Ron cheats than the rest of us," Dean told him enthusiastically. "Honestly, there is just no way he has legitimately won the last two times." Seamus nodded and hummed in agreement.

"Not my fault if you guys can't handle my skills," Ron told them smugly, a big unrepentant grin on his face that convinced Harry that Dean was right, and that caused Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Cheating isn't really a skill, Ron," Neville tried to argue as diplomatically as possible; privately he thought that Dean was right, Ron had cheated, but it wasn't like they had been able to work out how.

"It is if you don't get caught," the red-head bit back jokingly, making the others all laugh.

-#-

Draco had headed straight through the Slytherin common room, into the private rooms he shared with Harry, where he had dropped himself onto the sofa and let himself get lost in his thoughts. He was lying on his side, wings hanging off the front of the sofa, a little while later, when a pop of apparition made him jump.

He sat up quickly, his arm instinctively covering his belly, his other hand on his wand as his eyes darted around the room. He quickly spotted the small elf standing next to the coffee table, looking at him with large green eyes. "I is be bring you dinner like Mr Harry Potter be telling me to," the house elf told him happily.

"Dobby?" Draco asked, a confused frown on his face as he took in the sight of the familiar looking elf. He was more than a little surprised at seeing a house elf whom he was sure had once belonged to his father.

"Master Draco," the house elf squeaked, gave a small bow in greeting. "Dobby is most happy to be serving you again sir."

Draco stared at the elf; it seemed he was right about this having been a Malfoy elf at some point. "You work here at the school?" he asked as he inspected the large plate of food the elf had placed on the table in front of him. It looked good and he helped himself to one of the small tomatoes from on top of the salad, before turning back to the elf.

"Oh yes, Master Draco," the elf said jovially, nodding his head with enthusiasm. "Dobby is be liking working at Hogwarts, headmaster Dumbledore is being a good boss."

Draco stared at Dobby for a moment. "I'm... erm... glad," he told Dobby, though privately his main thought was that this was one weird elf.' "Thank you for dinner," he said dismissively, "you can leave."

"Of course, sir," the elf said with a deep bow, and with that Dobby disappeared.

Draco sighed, popping a second tomato in his mouth and leaning back on the sofa. He smiled; he had half expected for Harry to show up and check on him by now, and the fact that his boyfriend had simply sent him dinner instead indicated that Harry had been sincere in agreeing to give him some alone time for a few hours.  Draco was grateful for his mate's understanding because he honestly did just need some time to think; everything was changing, more than Draco had ever anticipated even after he had come into his inheritance.

Sitting up and pulling the coffee table closer to himself, Draco helped himself to a few bites of pie; he hadn't really realised how hungry he was until he had started eating and made quick work of the half of it, and then the rest of the salad, following it by downing most of his goblet of juice. Feeling much more refreshed, he once again leaned back on the sofa, thinking things over.

The last few days had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster; he supposed that the last month had been really, if he was honest about with himself, but it was the events of the last few days that were the ones that plagued him most and gave him most to think about.

It hadn't been much of a surprise that his father had reacted so badly to his wings, that man had never been a fan of anything which would make his family seem as though they were anything other than perfect pure-blooded wizards. Draco didn't share his father's insecurities about the Malfoy family heritage but he could understand the desperation to preserve the family's magical power, which was largely the crux of such views.

 At least now they would be able to keep Lucius away from Voldemort and the other Death Eaters,  and, for the time being, the man would probably loyally obey Professor Snape. They might even be able to keep him out of the war completely, which was the only way that Draco thought it likely that his father would actually survive it. It didn't make him feel any better about his father's rejection but it at least counted for something and meant that something good had come from the confrontation; despite everything, he still loved his father.

Draco was thinking that it might be wise to use his father's compromised state as an opportunity to explain the situation regarding the bond he and Harry now had; maybe they would even be able to discuss it rationally and calmly. Truthfully he had very little to lose by trying; worst case scenario, his father still would consider him to have betrayed and disappointed the family. Of course that would be painful but truly leave him no worse off than he already was.

Besides, he was confident that he had his mother's support, which until that morning he had thought was no sure thing. He had always believed that his mother loved him, and she had given him no reason to doubt that during their meeting; she just wanted him safe and happy, or so she had said. Granted, Harry definitely made him happy but the 'safe' remark had felt a bit like a back-handed comment.

It was making him wonder just how safe was he really. It was likely, given his father's position in Voldemort's ranks, that he would have been caught up in the Death Eater activities if he had never come into his Erote inheritance. However, everything had changed then, and it hadn't been a viable option since, even more so since he had become mated to Harry.

Draco still couldn't decide which of those two paths was the most dangerous; being a death eater or being mated to Harry. Though he definitely knew which of the two he would have chosen given the choice now; he had been so unhappy to discover what he was when he had first come into his inheritance, so it felt strange to feel glad for it now, for the life he had ended up with.

That didn't meant that he was safe though. He was bonded to, and pregnant with the child of, one of the people central to the war; Draco didn't have any doubt that Harry would protect him and the baby as best he could, but it did put him in the firing line. If, or more likely when, Voldemort and his followers found out about his current situation, it would make him a primary target; surely they would try to get to him, to get to Harry.

Draco pulled out the ribbon holding back his hair and ran his hand through his long blonde strands. He had tried cutting it a few days after he had been told he would be stuck in his Erote form for the duration of the pregnancy; however, it had been for nothing, as it had magically grown back within a couple of hours and since then he had just taken to using a small ribbon to keep it away from his face.

Draco knew that he cared about Harry a great deal, but was surprised to realise that the fears he felt for Harry's life bothered him every bit as much as his fears for his own. He logically knew that Harry would be involved in the war but he had never really allowed himself to consider what that might cost him; now he had, he realised he wasn't willing to risk _his_ Harry for the cause.

The idea of a life without Harry was too painful to think about; and that wasn't only down to the fears that he probably wouldn't survive the pregnancy without his mate, nor that he would be left to raise their child alone. Admittedly, these were scary thoughts, but that he might have to spend the rest of his life without Harry felt surprisingly terrifying to him and made him sick to his stomach.

He didn't understand quite how he had come to care so strongly about Harry, but he felt the need to be able to hug him, to kiss him, to tell him that he loved him. 'I Love him?' Draco asked himself, the thought suddenly hitting him like a ton of bricks. He felt sceptical about his own feelings, doubts about it being too soon and it just being his fears talking flitted through his mind; and yet, there was an undeniable sensation that he also knew he was trying to talk himself out of the corner he felt he had thought himself into.

He knew that was the direction which their relationship was heading in, that they would likely end up in love with each other but it had only been a month. Draco could picture Harry's amused and patronising expression if he was to tell him just how hard and fast he had fallen for him. The blond tipped his head backwards, resting it on the back of the sofa, looking at the ceiling as if asking for divine guidance.

‘Safe and happy’. His mother's words were making him realise that that was all he really wanted as well, for himself, for Harry, for his mother, even for his father and most surely of all, for his child. He was fairly sure that the only way that was going to happen though was with Voldemort's defeat.

No doubt that crazy old coot of a headmaster had a plan, or at least some ideas; the man had once defeated Grindlewald after all and it was said he was the only one that Voldemort feared. Draco found himself curious as to what Dumbledore was intending to do; did he plan on fighting Voldemort himself? And even if Voldemort was killed, what good would it do given that he had managed to defy death once already?

Draco sighed again, rubbing his hands through his hair and over his face. His mind was buzzing with questions that had no answers and so he decided to head to bed early. Though, even as he pushed himself to his feet, he wasn't sure he would be able to sleep; however, if he was going to spend the evening torturing his own mind, he figure that he might as well be comfortable while he did so.

He left the room in almost complete darkness as he entered their bedroom. Stripping down he carefully folded his clothes as he removed them; he would never understand how Harry could just drop his clothing wherever he happened to be standing when he undressed. He pulled on a pair of comfortable, warm, black pyjama trousers before sliding under the covers, lying on his back with his wings spread out beneath him.

He simply didn't have enough information about Voldemort, or anyone's plans to fight him, to be able to form any true opinions on what should be done, nor on how to ensure his family's safety. That was something he would have to make a point of talking to Harry about, sooner rather than later. He really liked to have a good plan in place; it helped him stay in control of a situation, something he was definitely in favour of.

Draco rolled onto his side; even after a month, it felt too odd to lie on his back with his wings trapped beneath his body; it wasn't painful, just not comfortable. It had become normal for him to sleep on his side now, more often than not, curled up close to against Harry or even leaning on his chest. If that bothered Harry at all, then he hadn't said so and Draco was fairly sure he had seen his boyfriend grin happily a few times when he had moved to lie that close.

Draco let his mind wander to what Harry was likely doing and realised he had no idea what the sixth year Gryffindor boys did for fun. Maybe they were just taking the chance to have a conversation and catch up; Draco found himself curious of how much of the truth Harry could choose to share with his other friends.

-#-

"Ooh, nice try, Ron," Dean mocked with a grin on his face. "Did you forget that Harry was here and therefore your _tactics.._." he emphasised the word with air quotes, "...won't work?"

"My tactics are just fine," Ron insisted but was pouting none the less. He was certainly getting away with a lot less of his usual methods now that his best friend was playing with them; he wasn't exactly about to complain though, just glad to get to spend some time with Harry again.

"Says the guy who just forfeit his place in this round," Harry pointed out with a laugh. It was comfortingly familiar playing cards with the four of them, knowing that some things hadn't changed at all, and that they could share banter with each other like before.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Ron conceded; Harry really was too good at spotting what he was trying to do.

"Another round?" Neville asked hopefully; he had been enjoying himself and wasn't really in the mood to either go to bed or face the small stack of homework he knew was waiting for him.

"We should play truth or dare," Seamus suggested with a grin, which Harry was rather worried to see was aimed mostly in his direction.

"Yeah, but with only truths." Neville added, catching on to what the Irishman was getting at; he too was keen to hear what Harry had to say for himself, now that they had managed to get their friend alone for a while.

"And where Harry is the only one playing," Dean said, laughing at both the excited expression on Seamus' face and the half-hearted scowl on Harry's.

"Very funny, guys," Harry said with fond exasperation as he rolled his eyes. "You could just ask me what it is you want to know," he told them. He had never really intended to hide the truth from his friends anyway, but just hadn't had a good opportunity to explain things to them yet.

Seamus didn't need to be told twice. "Okay, so what the hell is going on with you and Malfoy?" he asked eagerly, leaning forward so not to miss a word of whatever it was Harry was going to tell them.

"Subtle, Seamus," Ron commented with a shake of his head.

"Criticised on subtlety by a Weasley, ouch," Dean teased, giving Seamus an elbow to the ribs, though he too was watching Harry with interest, keen to hear the answer to his friend's question.

"I'm not really sure quite what you're asking," Harry told them with a thoughtful expression, “but Draco is my boyfriend, if that is what you mean," he explained with a shrug. He was fairly sure that much was obvious, but he wasn't about to start detailing their private life to fulfil Seamus' curiosity.

"Really, Harry? We would never have figured that out on our own, from the fact that you can't keep your hands off each other," Neville said sarcastically, and Harry huffed a little indignantly at the rather amused expressions on his friends' faces.

"What we really want to know is, why?" Dean tried to clarify. Things all seemed to have started when Harry had sprouted wings and jumped out of their dormitory window, which had certainly been rather a shock to them all; and the surprises had then just kept coming, with him flying at Malfoy across the Great Hall, the realisation that he and Malfoy were a couple, and even the recent confrontation with Malfoy senior. Needless to say, they had lots of questions.

"We didn't even know you were gay," Seamus pointed out. "Not that we mind or anything but you could have told us." He knew that Ron was Harry's best friend, but he still thought that they were close and he didn't understand why he, Dean and Neville had been kept in the dark about what was going on.

"No, I couldn't, because I didn't even know myself," Harry told them firmly. Even now he hadn't really even considered the fact that he might be; all he knew was that he cared about and was with Draco and that he was a guy was fairly irrelevant. "As for why," he went on, smirking a little, "Draco is gorgeous, wickedly funny and has the best damned arse I have ever seen"

"HARRY!" Ron exclaimed, looking at his best friend as though he had just confessed some dark and dangerous secret. He really did not want to hear anyone, let alone his best friend, describing Malfoy in such a way.

"Okay, fair enough," Dean said with a laugh, deciding to ignore Ron's outburst. "But how did you two manage to stop hexing each other long enough to realise this?" he asked curiously. It seemed that Harry and Malfoy's relationship had done a complete turn-about almost overnight.

"We are all pretty sure that the two of you didn't just decide to sit down over tea and crumpets and have a civil discussion about whether you should start fucking each other," Seamus told Harry with a wink.

Harry rolled his eyes again, though he was rather amused. "And who said we are having sex?" he asked, looking smug. He wasn't surprised that Seamus, and probably the others, all assumed that they were.

"You're not?" Seamus asked, wide-eyed with surprise. The way that Harry and Malfoy had been pawing at each other, and the fact that they had been given a room together, had him convinced that the two of them were having sex.

Harry flushed red. "Not exactly," he told them, but Seamus, Dean and Neville continued to stare at him expectantly. "It's complicated," he tried to explain, but not really willing to go into details.

"Would we be right to assume that this has something to do with that night that you grew wings and flew out of here?" Neville asked, hoping that now they might really get to the truth of what was going on with their friend. "And the wings Malfoy had also suddenly sprouted over night?"

"Because the next day was when you got together, wasn't it?" Dean said, looking at Harry imploringly.

"And we have all seen how you get your own crazy huge wings back whenever you get strangely possessive of Malfoy," Seamus pointed out, remembering the rather frightening sight that Harry had made when Malfoy senior had shown up.  

Harry gave Ron a pleading look; it seemed that they really had managed to piece together a lot of it for themselves. Most of the student body seemed to have done so and he was sure that it was only Hermione's removal of all the books referring to Erotes that had kept their secret this long. He just wasn't sure how much he wanted them to know.

"You're on your own on this one, Mate." Ron told him, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Your choice," he added, knowing that he couldn't make this decision for his friend.

"Whatever is going on is clearly serious, given that you are no longer sleeping in our dorms," Neville pointed out. "Of course, you don't have to tell us but we would like to know; and you know we will keep your secret," he promised with a smile, Seamus and Dean nodding their agreement.

"Okay, fine," Harry consented with a sigh. He was seriously hoping that he wasn't going to come to regret this, but he didn't like hiding things this serious from his friends. "But you seriously have to tell no-one," he added sternly, a very serious expression on his face. "This could be very dangerous if word got out to the wrong people."

Again the boys nodded, looking every bit as serious as Harry at that moment.

"Draco and I are what are called Erotes," Harry explained, "winged creatures, if you hadn't already figured that out." He really hoped that Draco wouldn't mind him telling them this; they had already told Crabbe and Goyle after all and this wasn't really so different.

None of the boys had shown any recognition at the mention of Erotes so Harry began explaining as best he could; everything he had found out and almost everything that had happened to them since that night he had bonded to Draco.

"So will you always have to maintain regular contact with him?" Dean asked with a confused frown; he wasn't at all familiar with this inheritance that Harry was talking about and it all seemed very strange.

"Erm... no," Harry confessed nervously, trying to think of a way to explain without telling them about the baby, but nothing was coming to mind. "Okay, so I need you to promise me that you will never use what I am about to tell you to tease, mock or otherwise upset Draco," he said, biting his bottom lip anxiously.

"Okay, we promise," Seamus agreed, wanting to hear more, and as he looked to Dean and Neville they both promised too.

"Draco's pregnant," Harry told them bluntly and braced himself for the inevitable reaction.

"WHAT?!" Seamus exclaimed, as he, Dean and Neville stared at him in shock.

"Guys..." Harry said, trying to get a word in edgeways so as to explain.

"I thought you said you weren't having sex," Neville queried with a confused expression.

"... guys..." Harry said again, though they still weren't listening.

"But he is a guy, how is that even possible?" Dean asked, looking every bit as confused as Neville.

"... GUYS!" Harry interrupted loudly, throwing a chuckling Ron a very dirty look. "Draco is a _submissive_ Erote, Dean, which means that he naturally has the ability to get pregnant," Harry explained. "Though with the use of potions and spells, most wizards can get pregnant."

"Really?" Dean asked, looking mildly thoughtful at that. "I never knew that."

"And, Neville," Harry said turning to his other friend, "I did say it was complicated." Neville nodded and gestured for him to explain. "Okay, so we have actually had sex once," Harry admitted, feeling rather awkward discussing it. "It was the night we bonded and neither of us exactly remembers it. Apparently all Erote bondings produce a child first try," he told them, "as a way of tying us to each other. We don't remember that night though, so before you ask how it was," he said, throwing Seamus a pointed look, "I have literally no idea."

"Wow," Seamus said, giving a short whistle.

"That's pretty intense, Harry." Dean told him. "Not so sure that in your place I would be so calm."

Harry laughed at that. "I say the same thing about Draco all the time," he told them. "Though I sometimes forget he has been aware this could happen to him since his sixteenth birthday." Even with that knowledge though, he was amazed at how well his boyfriend was handling everything.

"We are still your friends though, Harry," Neville said, giving him a stern look. "So now that we know what is going on, can you stop keeping us out of everything?" he requested; they had really missed having Harry around.

"Sure," Harry agreed with a fond smile. "The next time that we are all spending time in mine and Draco's room, I will invite you along," he promised.

"It will mean spending time with Slytherins," Ron pointed out as though this might be a little too much for Neville, Seamus and Dean to handle.

"We know," Neville said, looking a little nervous about that, but determined. "Malfoy is your bonded, Harry, so it is about time we got to know him and him, us," he explained.

"If you guys have managed to put up with his friends for a month already with no serious injuries or deaths, then they can't be all that bad," Seamus said with a shrug; he wasn't scared of any Slytherins and thought he could put up with them for Harry's sake.

Harry chuckled and shook his head in amusement, feeling rather touched at the support his friends were showing him. "Okay, okay," he said, holding his hands up in surrender, "I will make a point of not leaving you guys out."

"Well at least this means we outnumber those Slytherins again now; six to five," Ron announced happily.

"It isn't a competition, Ron," Harry sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.


	10. Enamoured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 16/01/2015)

It was quite late when Harry finally left the Gryffindor dormitory and headed back to the rooms he shared with Draco. As he entered their bedroom he could seen his bonded lying on the near side of the bed, wings towards him; he made his way around to the far side of it, discarding his clothes as he went, until he was wearing just his boxers. He slid himself under the covers, lying on his side, face to face with Draco, who smiled at the sight of him.

"Hi," the blond greeted, his voice quiet and a little sleepy, though Harry didn't think he had actually woken him.

"Hey you," Harry said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against Draco's. "You feeling any better?" he asked hopefully; Draco had really seemed understandably out of sorts earlier.

Draco nodded but didn't speak, the two of them lying next to each other in a comfortable silence.

"I told Neville, Dean and Seamus about us tonight," Harry told him, hoping that Draco wasn't going to be upset about that, "about what we are, I mean. They will keep our secret, don't worry," he assured his boyfriend. "They were surprised but seem to just want a chance to get to know you."

Draco chuckled, and shook his head a little. "I keep waiting for someone, other than my father, to react badly," he explained when Harry looked at him strangely.

"I know what you mean," Harry agreed. "Everyone just seems happy for us." It wasn't that he wanted people to start causing them problems; on the contrary, it was a great relief that people were reacting so well, but he had certainly expected more objections.

"I am happy for us too, you know," Draco told him, shuffling across the bed a little, cuddling in close to his boyfriend.

Harry blinked a couple of times, wrapping his arms around the blond and holding him close. He smiled happily, enjoying having him so close. "Draco?"

"Yes, Harry?" Draco responded, looking up at his boyfriend in question.

"You _know_ how I feel about you, right?" Harry asked hesitantly, trying to work out if he felt ready to put how he felt into words.

"I think so," Draco told him, though he didn't sound at all certain. He knew that Harry cared about him, but the question was just how much; he wasn't sure if he could figure that out when he was still struggling to comprehend his own emotions.

"Maybe..." Harry said, pausing for a moment to find the courage to make the suggestion he wanted to. The last time they had done this they had ended up in a very intimate position on the Slytherin table in Great Hall. "Maybe I can _show_ you how I feel about you?" he suggested hesitantly, watching his boyfriend closely to see his reaction.

Draco smiled and nodded slowly, actually liking that idea. Harry's hand gently reached out  and rested a hand on Draco's cheek, his thumb moving softly against the strands of hair just above his boyfriend's ear. Knowing what they were aiming to achieve this time, Harry was gently able to slip his feelings easily into Draco's own mind. It was profoundly intimate and they had expected the connection this time, and so weren't reeling from the shock of it; they could tell how they had become so caught up in it before but this time were able to relax into it somewhat.

Draco could feel affection and lust, the emotions telling him that Harry wanted him, really and truly wanted him. There was also possessiveness of both him and their unborn child; they belonged to him and he would rain fire down on anyone who dared challenge that claim. Then there was Love; real, honest, couldn't-live-without-Draco-ever-again Love.

Draco wasn't even aware of raising his hand to Harry's cheek, but slowly he began to share his own emotions. He let Harry see his fears, the ones that he could face knowing that Harry would be his protector; his confusion about their safety, which he could only deal with because he knew Harry would help him find answers; his Love for Harry, which he could confess because Harry returned the feeling.

It was like being doused in hot air and cold water all at once. They felt their senses blurring and becoming confused; their minds spun as memories freed themselves and they remembered.

-#-

_Draco was running. 'Shit... no.... shit..,' he thought to himself in panic. The evening was surprisingly warm for late Autumn and, when his knees gave way, Draco was glad it had not rained all week and that the ground was dry. He had only made it half way to the forbidden forest, and he already knew that that would not be far enough._

_He let out a wild screech as his wings forced themselves painfully from his back; he knew he shouldn't have resisted them, it always made it so much worse. He could feel his hair growing longer and as it fell around his face he couldn't help but admire the way the wind and moonlight worked together to make it shimmer in waves._

_His rational mind was slipping and a need was taking its place; a mate, he wanted his dominant to come and take him, give him a child and protect him from the world. The pitiful whine that escaped his throat was familiar to him now; five times already he had called since his inheritance and yet still no-one answered._

-#-

_Harry awoke suddenly as if someone had been screaming in his ear, every inch of his skin was tingling and his back ached. He tried to think but it was like wading through treacle. There it was again; a sound of pain and want, loud and silent all at once as if it was coming from inside his own mind._

_He wasn't able to hold in the yell of pain when his back felt like it was ripped open and something large and unknown emerged there. There was a vague awareness at the edge of his mind that his friends were around him and trying to communicate but there was the begging sound again; his submissive wanted... no, needed... him._

_He raised up his wings feeling them destroy something as they stretched wide and he hissed at the others to back off but they were between him and the door. 'Never mind,' he thought to himself, deciding on an alternative;  his submissive was outside anyway._

_He was vaguely aware of several panicked voices as he threw himself through the window, using instinct to fold his wings behind himself, so that he could  fit through the frame without injury, only to open them wide as the winds rushed passed him._

_He flew; he had to travel part way around the castle before he reached the grounds where he knew his submissive would be waiting. He could hear him and let out a rumbling growl from deep in his throat and the response the submissive gave felt like a relieved sigh._

-#-

_He was lying on his side on the ground, his small wings fluttering behind him; the ground was cold but felt nice against the burning need in his skin. He had called, wondering why he was not good enough for a dominant to want him; there were tears on his face already, believing that he would remain alone, but then he felt more than heard a seductive growl._

_'Mate' his brain supplied and the responding happy sigh of approval escaped him without his consent. There was a sort of thump as a large, intimating shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a man surrounded by huge wings that he thought to be green, if the moonlight was not misleading._

_"It is okay, little one," the winged man said, kneeling down next to the trembling submissive. "I will give you what you need."_

_He squeaked slightly as the larger body of the man leaned down over him, and swept him up into strong arms; fingers threaded through his long hair, using the grip to force their lips together in a kiss._

-#-

_The submissive was lying on the ground and looked so nervous; he was beautiful with purple wings splayed beneath him, pale skin and long white blond hair. He would take this creature and make it his own. 'Mine,' he thought._

_"It is okay, little one," he promised, moving towards the ground in the hopes of calming the scared submissive. "I will give you what you need."_

_He pulled the smaller man into his arms, threading a hand into his hair to initiate a dominating kiss that would leave no questions as to whose submissive he was._

_When he pulled back the blond was eyeing him hungrily but was almost relaxed in his arms. 'Good Submissive,' his brain told him. He lay him carefully on the grass again, as though scared to break him. He made quick work of removing most of the clothing that was hiding what was now his, leaving only the shirt tangled around the little wings._

_A pleased growl escaped the dominant's throat at the sight of his beautiful submissive spread naked on the ground just for him. He make quick work of removing his own clothing, wanting to lay claim the other man now and letting out a small frustrated sound as he gave up on his own shirt._

-#-

_The ground felt even colder against his back and wings, when he had next to no clothes to protect him but the sight of his mostly naked dominant leaning over him was more than enough of a distraction to chase away his cares._

_He would be safe now, he would be claimed and before the night was out his dominant would give him a child. His family had come for him, he would be loved. He couldn't help the whimper that fell from his lips as a single finger slid inside him, his own body releasing fluids which eased the unfamiliar sensation._

_"I have you, my angel," the dominant praised and he added a second finger, pushing up the shirt of his submissive to leave the pale chest exposed to his eyes._

_It hurt slightly but less than the heat that had flushed his skin in demand of surrendering to another like this. This was what he wanted, this was what he needed and he was already impossibly hard under the attentions. The third digit made him squirm and try to pull away though, until the man on top of him used a hand on his hip to pin him in place and kissed him once more._

_"Mine," the dominant growled, when he pulled his fingers free of the body beneath him._

_The growl of 'Mine' from the dominant was a command and he waited, leaning over the writhing pale-skinned creature, for a response._

_"Yours," the submissive replied after just a moment of hesitation, lifting and spreading his legs in an unmistakeable sign of submission and acceptance of his new mate. The dominant didn't need to be told twice and harshly thrust his hard length into the pliant and willing body beneath him._

_It hurt; it really did hurt and the sensation of something so large and solid inside him was alien and honestly scary. He trusted the dominant though and when the man thrust into him again he managed to find something inside, that made all his nerves seem to tingle with a hitherto unknown sensation._

_It was glorious and he would let the other man put whatever he liked up there if he could feel that feeling over and over again._

_The dominant knew it too, it seemed, if the predatory growl was any clue. The larger man pulled out and pushed himself balls- deep once more; the submissive's moan of pleasure was exactly what he had hoped for and so he repeated the motion._

_The submissive's head was tilted back and his body writhing, wanton noises escaping unbidden. "Yes," the submissive managed to say, "oh please... more... yes."_

_The tightness of the blond's arse was leaving the dominant not much more coherent; he revelled in the overwhelming sensations of pressure, friction and heat, the feeling of power he had over his mate, that he was the one pulling those delightful noises from that pretty mouth. It was almost more than he could handle and he was only holding on in his determination to witness his lithe lover's climax before his mind became clouded with his own._

_The submissive was lost in his own mind; he could not have even said which way was up, as the erection of his bonded moved against that wonderful spot inside, sparking something in him repeatedly. He was barely aware of his balls tightening before he felt his explosive release, his muscles trembling and clenching as he emptied himself again their chests._

_The dominant yelled out as the channel around his erection pressed tightly against him. He didn't even try to stop his orgasm, emptying himself into his submissive, into his bonded mate, knowing that his seed would give the small blonde the child that would seal their bond to each other._

_It was a few minutes before the larger man was able to pull himself from his submissive's body and he hated the flinch of discomfort the other had given at the sensation. He could feel his own instinct to mate easing off in his mind and became aware his bonded was shivering; he quickly picked up the now sleeping submissive, the both of them now dressed only in their shirts and, ignoring the other clothing, headed for the warmth of the nearby castle._

-#-

It had likely only taken a few minutes for them to both remember the events of the night they had bonded, but it felt a lot like living through it, while remaining in their bedroom, in the present, at the same time; the intensity of it had them both panting with exhaustion.

"Wow," Harry managed to say, unable to look away from his mate’s piercing grey eyes.

They had not moved and still lay facing each other, hands on each other's cheeks, though the connection had severed between them at some point; this was perhaps rather fortunate because experiencing any more sensations at that moment might have been more than either of them could have handled.

"I'll say," Draco agreed, dropping his hand from Harry's face. He felt a lot more comfortable with the memories that had returned to him than he had thought he might. It helped that he knew that night had tied him to Harry, and that was something he had come to be grateful for.

"That was..." Harry said, struggling to find the words to explain it, as he removed his hand from Draco's cheek and gently ran his fingers though his boyfriend's hair, brushing the blond strands away from his face. "... possibly the most amazing thing ever," he said with a grin.

"Indeed," Draco agreed again, still feeling rather stunned, his brain trying to process it all. "I would like to amend my hypothesis on why we didn't remember though," Draco told him with a small smile.

"Is that so?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised in question. He wasn't surprised to hear that Draco had a theory, as the blond did tend to overthink things in Harry's opinion, but he was rather curious to hear what Draco was thinking; he had thought it was fairly weird for them to lose their memories in the first place, but then suddenly regaining them back like they had seemed even more peculiar.

"I am starting to think that the bond wanted us to learn to connect with each other, allow our connection to grow on its own," Draco told him, sitting up in the bed a little, clearly keen to explain his thinking. "If you think about it, it is likely that we wouldn't have become so.... emotionally connected, not if we had just started having sex right away," Draco explained, watching Harry to see his reaction.

"Okay, that makes sense," Harry said, as he too sat up, nodding his understanding. "But do you really think we would have just jumped into bed together if we had remembered?" he asked a little sceptically.

"Hmm," Draco hummed, giving it some thought. "Maybe not," he agreed, knowing that their history was complex and even with their bond removing the negativity between them, it had taken them a while to grow properly comfortable with each other. "I imagine that most Erote pairs wouldn't have our past issues. And anyway I don't know about you but after remembering that, we are definitely having sex again..." Draco smirked, "... and soon."

Harry laughed. "Oh, I definitely second that," he said with a grin. "And you might actually be right," he added, thinking that Draco's logic made sense; their connection certainly was a lot deeper now than it had been when they had first bonded.

"Might?" Draco scoffed. "Insolent Gryffindor," he said, glaring at his boyfriend, though Harry could tell it was all in jest. "Of course I am damned well right," the blond told him firmly.

"Why did we remember now though?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, I understand why we didn't remember earlier, but what triggered out memories?"

"I assume it is because we said that we love each other," Draco said, before realising what he had said. "Well, sort of, in a way," he rambled a little, a light blush colouring his pale cheeks. "Well I guess we didn't actually say it, but I am pretty sure what I felt through the connection was love, wasn't it?" he asked, starting to second guess himself.

"It was," Harry said firmly, reaching out and grasping Draco's hand in his own, as he shuffled closer to his boyfriend and let Draco lean into him. "It was what I felt too, I'm sure of it," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of Draco's head.

"Okay," Draco said with a smile. "So my thinking is that when the bond knew we loved each other enough to make this work, even without a sexual relationship between us, it felt confident enough to give us a shove towards having that too," he suggested, looking up at Harry.

"Makes sense," Harry said, smiling as he nodded. Though a moment later his face scrunched into a concerned frown.  "I hurt you though, didn't I?" he asked, his fingers threading into Draco's blond hair to keep their eye contact.

"Yes," Draco told him bluntly, "but it was also incredible and powered by your instincts," he explained quickly, before Harry could say anything, leaning up enough to press a kiss to his dominant's lip. "Though if you would take a little more care with how you manhandle me next time I would be grateful," he added with a teasing smile when they broke apart.

"Sure thing, Love," Harry promised seriously, pulling Draco in closer,  so that the lengths of their bodies were pressed together, their faces just inches apart.

"I hope you don't think you are getting sex right now," Draco told him firmly, a stern expression on his face. "I am bloody knackered."

Harry laughed happily at that. "No," he assured the blond, "I just want to kiss you before you fall asleep in my arms," he told him, pressing a kiss to the corner of Draco's mouth, before leaning back a little to look at him in question. "Is that allowed?"

"Hmm..." Draco hummed, tapping his chin in mock thought, before unable to keep the smile from his face any longer. "Okay, permission granted," he told him.

Harry didn't need to be told twice and so leaned forward, closing the small gap between them and pressing their lips together. Draco moaned happily, parting his lips a little and letting his mate dominate the kiss, their lips moving against each others, as Harry's tongue teasingly tasted and swept against Draco's own.

Harry shifted them both down the bed, without breaking the kiss, holding his submissive close. It was intense and passionate, telling of the arousal that they both felt, despite their decision to not have sex then, and it was several minutes before they became desperate enough for air to willingly break the contact.

"I love you, Draco," Harry whispered breathlessly, unable to look away from his mate.

"I know," Draco stated, a smug expression on his face. He honestly couldn't doubt that now that he had felt it for himself through their connection.

Harry just rolled his eyes and chuckled, pulling the sleepy blond gently against his side. He knew that Draco was teasing, and having felt the blond's emotions for himself,  he didn't need to hear the words to know how his boyfriend felt towards him.

"I love you too, Harry," Draco said sleepily a few minutes later, his eyes having fallen closed.

"I know, Love," Harry replied, his own voice heavy with sleep. "I know."

-#-

"Draco loves me," Harry whispered smugly into Hermione's ear as he took a seat next to her at breakfast and started helping himself to food.

"We know, Harry," Hermione told him, not even looking up from the paper she was reading. This really was not news to her; she was fairly sure that even Ron, who was about as oblivious as could be sometimes, had worked out that much.

"No, I mean he is _IN_ love with me," he tried again, feeling rather disappointed in the lack of response.

"We know, Harry," she said again, though this time she did look up and turn to him with a small smile. "And we are very happy for you," she adding hoping to appease him, before turning back to her copy of the Daily Prophet again.

Harry huffed at what felt a lot like a dismissal from his friend; he rather though it was quite a big deal and so turn to look at Ron hopefully, knowing that his other friend would have definitely been listening. He couldn't help but smile at the incredulous expression on Ron's face

"Hermione's right," Ron told him with a shrug, "it's pretty obvious how he feels about you, from the rather nauseatingly lovely-dovey expressions he keeps giving you. Did he actually _say_ it though?" Ron asked, with what sounded to Harry like genuine curiosity. "I mean, I didn't think he would be able to admit it to himself yet, let alone to you; I kind of assumed all Malfoys were emotionally repressed."

"Don't be mean," Harry chastised lightly. He might have thought the same thing about Draco not all that long ago, but now he knew better. " And yes, he really said it," Harry told him smugly, remembering his boyfriend's sleepily mumbled words. "But it was more than that. You remember that sort of emotion sharing thing we did before...?" Harry asked, trying to work out how to explain what had happened.

Ron scoffed, cutting his friend off and earning himself a scowl from Harry. "Well it would be kind of difficult thing to forget with the scene you two made," Ron pointed out with an unapologetic shrug.

" _ANYWAY_..." Harry went on, ignoring Ron's comment. "We kind of showed each other how we felt."

That apparently was enough to get Hermione's attention. "Really?" she asked, putting the paper down on the table in front of her and finally giving Harry her full attention. "You actually got to _feel_ that he loves you?" she asked in amazement, trying to imagine what it would be like to actually have that kind of certainty about how your partner felt about you.

"Ah crap," Ron groaned, lightly glaring at Harry. "You're really in love with him too, aren't you?" he said, already knowing that it was true. "And here was me happily living in denial," he grumbled under his breath, turning back to his breakfast, feeling the need of  something else to focus on.

"Yep," Harry said with a laugh, knowing that his friend would get over it once he had grown used to the idea; he certainly wasn't going to apologise for how he felt about his bonded. Instead he turned his attention to Hermione. "And yes, really; I could actually feel how much he loves me. Oh, and it gets better," he added, grinning happily.

"Better...? Woo," Ron droned quietly, his voice heavy with obvious sarcasm. "Better than you and Malfoy head over heels in love with each other, how could such a thing even be possible?"

"Very funny, Ron," Harry said dismissively, not letting Ron's grumpy attitude get to him.

"Ignore him, Harry," Hermione insisted. "What happened?" she asked excitedly, and Harry was almost a little surprised she hadn't pulled out a quill and parchment ready to make notes.

"We remembered," he told her, a smirk creeping onto his face at the memories he now had.

"Wait... you remembered?" Hermione asked, looking confused. But slowly, as she took in Harry's expression, realisation sunk in, her eyes going wide. "As in... you remember _that_ night?" she asked in an excited whisper, leaning towards him a little.

Harry nodded, still unable to keep the grin from his face, but when Ron still looked completely lost, Harry rolled his eyes. "The night we bonded," he explained in a whisper, "the night we..."

"Oh... OH!" Ron exclaimed as he suddenly realised what his friend was telling him. "Can this not be a breakfast topic, please?" he requested hopefully; he didn't want to hear about Harry and Draco's sex life at the best of times, let alone when he was trying to eat.

Hermione frowned at the red-head. "Don't be such a prude, Ron," she said firmly, not wanting to discourage Harry from talking to them about these things.

"No, it's okay, I understand," Harry said casually with a shrug; it wasn't like he had planned to give them any details; after all,  he supposed he wouldn't want to hear about what either of them got up to in private either. "All I want to say is," he went on, unable to help himself from sharing a little of his happiness, "that it was amazing; _and_ Draco agrees," he told his two best friends, still unable to stop smiling.

"Okay..." Ron dropped his spoon back into his cereal, "thanks for that, my appetite is completely gone. That was enough to give me a few mental images I could definitely have done without," he said, looking a little queasy.

Harry laughed again, shaking his head in amusement, and Hermione rolled her eyes. They were both too used to the way Ron was to actually be bothered or worried by his comments. "I am happy for you, Harry," she told him earnestly, "that's really great news."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, digging into the bowl of fruit salad in front of him, and helping himself  to some toast.

-#-

"Harry looks like he is in a good mood," Pansy commented to Draco, who was sitting eating his breakfast next to her. "So do you actually," she noted as she looked carefully at her friend. "Care to share?"

Draco looked up from his breakfast to glare at her. "Do you really think that is any of your business, Pansy?" he asked sternly, a scowl on his face at her need to dig into his private life. She wasn't wrong though; after the evening they had had, both he and Harry had woken up in really good moods.

"Oh come on, Draco," she said, tutting at his secretiveness. "I'm your friend, I just want to know what is going on with you and given that, for once, it looks like it might be a good thing..."

"Yes, okay, okay," Draco interrupted. "I get it," he told her, looking around at the Slytherins sat around them at their table. "Where's Blaise?" he asked curiously, a little surprised to realise that his friend had yet to join them even though they were almost done eating.

Pansy shrugged. "Guess he is having a lie in or something," she said dismissively; it wasn't as though she kept track of Blaise. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself so she wasn't at all worried by the fact that he was missing breakfast.

"Well, he will kill me if I tell you this and not him," Draco told her, a little glad for the reason to put off that particular conversation a short while longer. "Plus..." he said, making a small gesture to indicate the numerous other Slytherins within ear shot.

Pansy frowned at that, but could see his point. "Fine, but we are having lunch in Blaise's dorm and you're going to spill," Pansy told him firmly, using a finger to jab him in the shoulder to get her point across.

Draco chuckled fondly. Pansy had always been such a gossip; he knew that it was probably a good job she was a gossip loyal to him. His mood dipped slightly though, when he thought about the questions his friends would undoubtedly ask once he told them about remembering. That was not going to be a particularly comfortable experience, he was sure.

Thinking about the day before, he glanced up at the head table. Draco frowned in thought when there was no sight of Professor Snape, wondering if the man was actually spending time with Lucius now that he knew Narcissa had no objections. However, the thought of his father and Professor Snape 'spending time together' conjured some mental images that were far too disturbing, and so he decided to focus his attention on eating his fill before they would have to leave for class.

-#-

"Erm, Harry..." Ron said hesitantly, when his best friend suddenly ducked into an alcove after they finished their last class before lunch, and started digging around in his backpack. "What are you doing?" he asked, watching as Harry found what he was looking for and pulled out his invisibility cloak.

"Pansy was dragging Blaise and Draco off somewhere. I was going to follow and steal back my boyfriend," Harry explained, as it should have been obvious. "Thought I could save him from potentially hours of Pansy's gossiping."

"Harry..." Ron whined, clearly unimpressed by this particular plan. "Can't we just go have lunch?" he suggested, looking a longingly in the direction of the Great Hall.

"Oh, yeah, you should go have lunch with Hermione," Harry told him with a smile, "I'll see you next lesson." He didn't wait for a response before covering himself with the cloak and disappearing from sight.

He saw Ron go to say something, but the red-head apparently realised there would be no talking Harry out of it, because he snapped his mouth shut again and shook his head in exasperation, before turning and heading off to lunch.

Harry had to hurry in order to catch up with the three Slytherins and only just made it through the entrance to their common room before the doorway closed behind him. 'Too close,' he thought to himself and started looking around at the large room. He hadn't seen the Slytherin common room since he had broken in during his second year with the help of polyjuice potion; it hadn't changed much.

Pansy, Blaise and Draco were making their way towards what looked to be the dormitories and Harry was starting to think that the idea of following Draco might have not been so smart after all.He had thought it would be a laugh but perhaps Pansy had pulled them away because she wanted to talk to them about something private.

Harry momentarily glanced towards the entrance he had just come through, considering just going back and joining his friends in the Great Hall for lunch. However, he had come this far and was simply too curious to back out now.

So, summoning his Gryffindor courage, he picked up the pace and hurried after the three Slytherins. Harry just managed to sneak into the room behind them, while Draco was checking that they weren't followed.

-#-

"So are you ready to tell me why we are hiding out in my dorm, rather than going to eat lunch?" Blaise asked Pansy, as she pushed him through the doorway ahead of her. Draco followed them in and, after looking around carefully, pulled the door shut, throwing up silencing spells for good measure.

"...I missed breakfast you know, this means I will have to wait until dinner to eat and..." Blaise continued to rant as Pansy pushed on his shoulders, getting him to sit down on his bed. Draco came over to join them, sitting next to Pansy as she sat down on the bed over from Blaise's.

"Shush, Blaise," Pansy said firmly, when he opened his mouth to continue his complaints. He snapped it shut but gave her a stern glare that demanded answers. "Draco and Harry were both suspiciously happy at breakfast this morning..." Pansy told him.

"Wait, wait, wait," Blaise said, raising a hand to cut her off. "I am missing lunch because Draco and Potter happened to be in a good mood on the same day?" he asked, glaring daggers at her now.

"No, you are missing lunch so that Draco can tell us exactly what put them in such a good mood," Pansy clarified with a roll of her eyes, turning to look at the blond with an expression of innocent curiosity that didn't fool him for a moment.

"Fine," Blaise said huffily, his arms crossed over his chest as he too turned to look at Draco expectantly.

"We remembered," Draco stated simply, watching his two friends, waiting for the moment that this information sank in.

Harry, hidden safely under his invisibility cloak, couldn't help but smile; part of that was at the memory of that night, but it was mostly the knowledge of how much he and Draco loved each other. He was definitely feeling guilty for spying on Draco and his friends but there wasn't a lot he could do now he was there, so he just stayed quiet.

"Oh, wow," Pansy exclaimed, clearly both excited and curious; it had taken her basically no time to work out what exactly it was that they had remembered. "How did that happen?" she asked quickly and Draco rolled his eyes at her slight mad grin.

'Such a gossip whore,' he thought affectionately, knowing that Pansy would be the first to admit that was true if asked.

"You remembered?" Blaise asked, a slightly puzzled expression on his face as he narrowed his eyes at the blond; until they suddenly went wide a moment later. "Oooooh..., you _remembered_ ," he said pointedly. "Do you remember... well... everything?"

"Everything," Draco said, nodding in confirmation. "And we are fairly sure that it happened because we admitted we love each other."

"Knew it!" Blaise declared proudly, grinning at his friend.

"Who said it first?" Pansy asked; she seemed barely able to staying sitting down, let alone hold her questions at all.

"Oh, not sure," Draco said, trying to think back to the previous night and work it out; it hadn't been at all important to them who had gone first, because it had been entirely mutual. "I think Harry showed me first," he told them. "We used our ability to share emotions, so that we could both actually feel how the other felt."

"Aww, that is so sweet," Pansy cooed, grasping one of Draco's hands in her own. "And just that you actually got to feel his love for you," she said, letting out a wistful sigh.

"Sometimes, Pansy, you are such a girl," Blaise told her with a roll of his eyes.

"You do know I _am_ a girl, right, Blaise?" Pansy pointed out with a smile. "But anyway," she went on, turning back to the blond, "we are talking about Draco and his newly recovered memories. Was it...?" Pansy tried to ask but was quickly interrupted by Draco.

"It was amazing; he was amazing," Draco said with a slightly glazed over look. It was still a little strange actually having the memories of that night in his mind; he could remember how it felt, physically and emotionally, and both had been intense beyond what he had imagined.

Harry couldn't help but feel insanely smug at his boyfriend's words. It was one thing to hear Draco tell him that it was amazing to Harry's face, but for the blond to say it to his friends, when there was no pressure to compliment him... well it warmed his heart.

"It didn't hurt?" Blaise asked, his own curiosity getting the better of him. Harry too was listening closely now; Draco had already admitted it had hurt, but he wanted to know how his boyfriend would describe it to Pansy and Blaise.

"Oh, yeah, it hurt," Draco told them with rather blunt honesty; it tugged at Harry's heart to know that he had caused him that pain, even if it was while he was acting on instinct. "But it was still incredible," he said, with a rather salacious smirk on his face.

Pansy laughed and Blaise rolled his eyes in amusement; Harry smiled, happy to see Draco's two best friends so pleased for him.

"It is good to see you like this, Draco," Pansy told him, "to see you happy." Draco had been worrying so much the last year or so, but Harry seemed to have changed everything.

"Yeah, I really am," Draco agreed, but the sigh which followed it told a different story.

"Something's bothering you," Blaise stated, the question about what left implied and Pansy was looking at Draco with concern too. Harry's whole body felt tense, anxiety over what was upsetting his boyfriend flooding through him.

"I love Harry, I really do," Draco told them. "I'm happy with him but there is a war going on, no matter how much I would rather ignore it. Am I just supposed to pretend that I feel safe, that I am oblivious to how hunted me and my baby will be if the wrong people find out?" he asked, folding his arms over his still flat stomach protectively, his own wings curling around his sides slightly as if to shield himself from the world.

Harry was frozen to the spot, hearing his boyfriend's fears. He could only watch on as anxiety and concern marred Draco's beautiful pale features, the long blond hair falling around his face when he tilted his head forward in a failed attempt to hide the tears he was crying.

Pansy and Blaise shared a look; this was not really something they could help their friend on. There was no denying that Draco's relationship with Harry was potentially dangerous and whether any of them liked it or not, the young family were going to be dragged into the war. Draco would see straight through any false words they used to try and comfort him.

"And even if I somehow managed to stay safe, hidden away, Harry can't," Draco went on, his voice quiet. "I can't lose him, I just can't," he told them sadly. Harry honestly thought his heart was going to break in that moment; it taking all his will power not to throw the cloak from his body and embrace his bonded in his arms. He was thankful when Blaise moved to sit next Draco, on the other side of him from Pansy, and the two friends embraced the blond between them.


	11. Enlightened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Draco was pacing in the corridor outside the potion master's quarters, putting off going inside. His wings were flicking in agitation with each step, ruffling his long hair that was pulled into a braid down his back.

"You don't have to do this," Harry told his boyfriend, which made Draco just turn and glare at him. They had already discussed this several times over and so Draco knew full well that Harry understood why they were there. "Okay, well you don't have to do this right _now_ ," he amended. He really did understand that Draco needed to speak with his father, and he even kind of understood the urgency of it, but he hated that this was stressing his boyfriend out this much.

"Harry, this is my best shot," Draco told him firmly, stopping pacing and moving to stand in front of his boyfriend. "This is _our_ best shot at actually getting my father to listen," he explained, as he had done before. "We have no idea when he might return to normal and I can't miss this chance." If or when the influence of Draco’s wings wore off Lucius was going to be furious, and certainly not going to want to hear a word of what he had to say.

"I know, Draco," Harry said with a sigh, wrapping his arms loosely around the blond's shoulders, and just letting Draco lean against him. "I just don't like seeing you this... distressed; it can't be good for the baby," he added, hoping that his boyfriend might reconsider for their child's sake, if not his own.

Draco growled, his eyes narrowing in annoyance as he pushed away and looked up at his dominant mate. "It's always about the baby, isn't it, Harry," he said, unmistakably rather pissed off.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, genuinely confused about the dramatic change in Draco's mood and the unexpected turn in the conversation. He had no idea what the blond was talking about and tried to bring Draco back into the embrace of his arms, hoping to offer him some comfort.

Draco, however, had other ideas and gave him a small shove, taking a step back. "That's all I am to you, isn't it," he said angrily, his voice full of hurt. "I'm just a means to an end," Draco said, his eyes glinting as tears formed but he refused to let them fall.

"Draco, this is crazy," Harry insisted as he once again tried to reach out, unsure why his boyfriend suddenly seemed to believe such things; there was no doubt that Harry wanted their child but Draco had become more or less the centre of his world this last month. "I love you," Harry said firmly.

"Great, now I'm crazy too am I?" Draco asked, a scowl on his face as he back away from his dominant, his wings spread out behind him.

"Right now, Love, yes, you're acting crazy," Harry told him with frustration, reaching out again and getting a firm grip on Draco's arms. They knew they loved each other so he was confused about what was going on in Draco's head. "I love you and you know that," he reminded the blond, "so what is this really about?"

"Let go," Draco yelled, trying to pull away; however, Harry held on as gently as he could, not wanting to hurt him but not about to let his submissive hide from whatever it was that was bothering him. "Please," the blond begged, a few tears starting to roll down his cheeks. "Let me go," he requested again, sounding a lot less determined.

Harry sighed at the sight of tears on his mate's face and pulled the blond against his chest, grateful when Draco barely fought him at all, and wrapped his arms around the smaller teenager. "Never, Draco," he told him firmly. "I will never let you go," he promised.

Draco cried as he leaned against Harry, slim arms clinging around Harry's waist, a shadow falling over them both as Harry pulled his wings out and curled them around the pair of them. "I'm sorry," Draco sobbed. "It's just..."

"All a bit much?" Harry asked and he felt Draco nod against him. He sighed; honestly, he had been expecting something like this from Draco for a while, so now he realised what was happening, he just wanted to help him through it. "Your whole life was completely flipped upside down, Draco," he pointed out, "and this is the first time, in a month, that you have had any kind of panic; and that is even with all those crazy pregnancy hormones."

Draco chuckled, it coming out as almost a sob, against his boyfriend's chest. "I didn't scare you away with my crazy outburst then?" he asked nervously, the feeling of Harry's arms and wings around him helping to calm the emotions swirling in his mind.

"You will have to do better than that, Malfoy," Harry teased affectionately. He had been worried and concerned about his mate, but he wasn't going to let a momentary panic get between them.

"But what if he hates me?" Draco asked, looking up at Harry with fearful eyes, continuing to lean against him.

"Your father?" Harry queried, glancing towards the door to Snape's rooms.

Draco nodded in confirmation. "What if we go in there, we tell him everything, and then he hates me?" he asked, voicing his fears. He knew that Lucius was disappointed, maybe even angry with him already, but he still wanted to believe that his father loved him.

Harry opened his mouth to assure Draco that wouldn't happen, but he didn't want to lie, so closed it again a second later, and frowned, giving it serious thought. "Then you will know where you stand with him," he answered with a sigh. "And you'll still have your friends, your mother, me and our baby," Harry promised. "He can't take us from you, Draco."

Draco sobbed a little against Harry's chest again; despite appreciating his mate's honesty, the idea of having Lucius actual hate him was painful to consider. "But he is still my father..." he said, trying to not completely breakdown; he was on the verge of telling Harry to just take them back to their rooms, but he knew he had to do this, no matter how hard it seemed.

"I know, Love," Harry said sadly, wishing there was something more he could do. "Hopefully once he understands everything and he realises that he can't separate us, then he can start to accept that this is how things are now." He held Draco by his arms and pulled him from his body just enough to look him in the eye. "Like you said, he is your father," Harry said confidently, "surely when all is said and done he, like your mother, wants you to be kept safe and happy."

Draco took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. "I hope you're right," he said softly.

"Ready?" Harry asked, willing to take as long as Draco needed, but thinking that they were getting off topic and should just go for it rather than dwelling on what might happen for too long.

"As I will ever be," Draco replied with a nod of his head.

-#-

It was about ten minutes later that Draco found himself sat on a wooden chair, his Malfoy mask firmly in place, as he faced the bars which were holding his father captive; Harry was standing a short way behind him, next to Professor Snape. They had been this way for several minutes and it didn't seem as though either of the Malfoy men were ready to speak.

"Bars, sir?" Draco heard Harry asked quietly. "Seems a bit... primitive... and muggle."

The professor snorted derisively at the comment. "It is the most effective way to ensure he doesn't leave," the potion master informed the teenager. "The Dark Lord already believes that Dumbledore is keeping him captive in a location that I am not privy to and so he will be kept here for the foreseeable future. Lucius knows too much about you and young Mr Malfoy; if he was to be given a chance to relay the information he knows..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Harry interrupted, waving his arm dismissively. "I get that we have to keep him locked up and away from Voldemort, it was just that wasn't expecting him to be behind actual bars."

"They are magically enhanced bars, if that makes you feel any better, Mr Potter," Snape told him with a derogatory sneer, not sure why Harry was insisting on having this inane discussion.

"Oh yeah, loads," Harry responded sarcastically under his breath, far too used to Snape speaking down to him to actually let it bother him. Normally he would have just walked away, but he was there for Draco and so he stood his ground.

"Are you going to tell me what you are?" Lucius asked suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to him. He too was sat stiffly on a chair, which he had moved across the room, so that he could sit in front of the bars blocking the only doorway out of his room.

"I am considering it," Draco told him calmly, not wanting to admit that it was taking time to find the courage to do so. Despite the words of comfort Harry had given him, he still was extremely anxious. "First I want to know if you are even worth my time; do you even care for me at all?"

Lucius remained where he was sitting, his body tense and straight-backed, but he actually looked mildly horrified at the insinuation; it was not an expression that Harry had ever seen on the man's face before. "Of course I do," Lucius stated simply. "You are my heir; you are my son."

"And yet you attacked me as soon as you saw my wings," Draco snapped back, struggling to keep his mask of relaxed confidence in place. In all his years he had never had his father handle him in such a manner before, nor make threats against his safety, and he hadn't been sure just how far Lucius had been willing to go.

"I just wanted answers," Lucius said in his defence. "I was shocked and then he showed up," he explained, throwing a glare in Harry's direction, before turning his gaze back to his son before him.

"Blaming your reaction on Harry will not earn you any points with me," Draco warned, his voice was cold and bland, and Harry wondered if Lucius even knew how angry his son was with him right now. Harry couldn't help but feel a little smug at how easily he could read his boyfriend's tone of voice now.

Lucius scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "You choose him, over your own parents?" he asked sceptically. Draco had been raised as a Malfoy, taught his whole life to respect his heritage, and make choices that would be best for the family he represented; it made no sense that the boy would discard that for some half-blooded Gryffindor.

"Mother accepts him!" Draco all but yelled, drawing the strength to confront his father from the truth of his own words. "She gave me a chance to explain before she condemned me and the man I love," he added, his eyes narrowing slightly, but his body and face otherwise remaining impassive.

Lucius looked like he had been physically struck by the words. "Narcissa accepts him?" he asked, as if the idea was beyond comprehension. He had always known his wife occasionally had a soft heart, particularly regarding their son, but Potter represented everything they stood against. Though at the same time, given all that Narcissa had said during the time she had come to see him, he knew that it was the truth.

Draco nodded slowly in confirmation. "So I ask you again," the teenager said, his voice calm despite the hammering of his heart in his chest, "do you even care for me at all?"

The older Malfoy narrowed his eyes, unhappy with the situation, but he nodded curtly a second later. Draco was precious to him in a way that no other was, and he had no intention of letting Potter steal his child from him so easily.

"Will you put my needs above your loyalties to the Dark Lord?" Draco asked, needing to know if his father genuinely cared, or if Lucius just believed, or was saying, that he did. Either way they would not be able to trust him enough to free him, but as Harry had said before they had come into the room, Draco needed to know where they stood.

"It is not that simple..." Lucius tried to argue, knowing that going against Voldemort would likely mean death for them all, and he would not allow such a thing to happen; he could not disgrace his family by allowing the line to end on his watch.

"It is that simple!" Draco snapped, losing his resolve a little bit and leaning forward slightly to glare at his father as he spoke. "I am with Harry and staying with Harry," he said, a small, smug smile twitching at the corner of his mouth as he spoke quietly. "Keeping me safe and working with the Dark Lord are no longer options that are compatible with each other; you have to choose."

"It isn't like I am being given a choice either way," Lucius pointed out, waving his hands at the bars in front of him. There was nothing that he could do to serve his master or help his son from where he was being held; and Severus had already made it clear that he was not going to be released any time in the foreseeable future.

Draco did nod his head slightly in acquiescence of the truth of his father's words, but simply rephrased the question, determined to get the answers he was looking for. "If you could, would you return to him, knowing it would put me in danger?" the teenager demanded to know. "Knowing that it would put Professor Snape in danger?"

Lucius eyes got a slightly glazed over quality as he looked longingly at the potions master. "I have no wish for any harm to befall either of you," he informed them.

Draco sighed; he didn't feel like he was getting anywhere but he felt Harry's hand reach out and brush lightly against his wing feathers; the sensation was comforting and gave him strength. "You really want to know what I... what we are?" Draco asked, indicating Harry as well as himself.

Lucius nodded, hopeful that he would finally get some of the answers he was looking for, an explanation that would help him understand his son's defiance.

"Fine," Draco agreed harshly, taking a deep calming breath before he spoke. "We are Erotes," he said, and there was certainly a small degree of pleasure to be had from the wide-eyed look of surprise on his father's face in that moment.

"I thought that they were..." his father mumbled, which was totally out of character for the usually beautifully-spoken pure-blood. But this simple revelation had evidently rocked his world as he viewed them with an obviously shocked expression on his face. For his part, Draco was, as he had been with his mother, relieved that Lucius had at least heard of them; that would save having to do too much explaining.

"... Just legends?" Draco finished for him, a smug expression on his face, his confidence returning a little in the face of his father's confusion and disbelief. "That is apparently the impression that most people were under," he explained, not about to admit that he had been shocked and horrified at his own inheritance, when he had first learned of what he had become.

"However," Draco went on, "that is what we are. Harry and I bonded a little over a month ago and I am currently pregnant with our child." He paused for a moment to allow Lucius a moment to let this news sink in, but the man said nothing and so Draco continued. "It was the ability that I can channel through my wings which has made you fall in love with the Professor here," he told his father, his finger pointing over his shoulder at the potions master.

Lucius was apparently lost for words as he just stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed at his son. He opened his mouth a few times to say something, but it seemed that words were failing because he said nothing. Harry was trying to keep his face calm, but the whole goldfish impression that the older Malfoy was doing was rather amusing and so he had to bite on his bottom lip a little to hold back a laugh.

"You see, father," Draco said firmly, a determined smile on his lips now, "I will never leave Harry. And so you have a choice; you can learn to accept this and keep your son," Draco said, pausing as he steeled himself to finish the ultimatum, "...or you will lose me."

Harry could see that Draco was shaking, the fact betraying his nerves despite the cool facade he kept on his face. This was it; this was the moment that Draco had feared, worried that Lucius would simply discard him now that it was clear he would not be separated from Harry. Unable to bear looking at the still silent form of Lucius a moment longer, Draco suddenly stood up and turned to Harry and Snape.

"I am done here," Draco told them. "I have said all I have to say. It is up to him now." He leaned up to kiss Harry, out of a need for the simple comfort it would bring him rather than anything else, but Lucius' shocked gasp behind him made Draco smile against his boyfriend's lips. Maybe his father would finally get it, that he and Harry were the real deal.

Harry couldn't resist smirking at Lucius, as he wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders, following Snape. The potions master showed the two of them out of his rooms, into the corridor, leaving a rather stunned Lucius to his thoughts.

"He seems more like himself," Draco commented to the professor, once the three of them were in the corridor, the portrait covering the entrance to Snape's personal quarters closing behind them.

Snape nodded. "I agree," he said, his expression softening a little. "Whatever you did to him seems to be starting to wear off...," he confirmed, before adding, "slowly."

"You seem pleased about that," Draco said with a frown; he definitely had his doubts about how co-operative his father was likely to be once the Erote influence was gone. Harry also looked a little surprised by Snape's admission, having been assuming that the potions master would be glad to have Lucius' affections given the feelings that everyone seemed to think that Snape held for the blond.

"I am," Snape said with a small dip of his head. "Your father has been my friend for a long time, Draco," he explained, "I do not want him... forced into a way of thinking. I would have him choose for himself."

Draco sighed, nodded his understanding. He wouldn't want Harry to be with him anything less than completely willingly. "Just... don't wait till he disappears back behind his masks," he told the potions master a little hesitantly, knowing that Snape might not appreciate his advice on this matter.

Snape sneered but gave a barely noticeable nod. "Goodnight, Draco," he said by way of a dismissal.

"Goodnight, sir," Draco said with a smile as he slid his hand into Harry's, letting his boyfriend lead him away.

Harry looked back as they headed down the corridor; Snape was leaning against the door to his room, lost in thought. Harry smiled to himself; he thought that maybe, just maybe, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape could work it out between them.

-#-

Harry was lying on their bed, smiling fondly as Draco practically jumped into bed with a grin on his face. "That went so much better than I ever thought it would," the blond told him happily, sighing with contentment as he curled into Harry's side.

Harry chuckled, pleased to see that Draco's mood had greatly improved. "You did great," he said earnestly. "I love you, I am so proud of you."

Draco pushed himself up and pressed their lips together, pulling Harry down so that his dominant was leaning over him. "Prove it," Draco challenged quietly, a teasing smile on his lips.

Harry smirked at him and shifted them so that Draco was lying beneath him, wings spread out beneath him and their fronts pressed together. Harry kissed him passionately and Draco moaned at the feeling of Harry growing hard against him, as their tongues battled against each other's, his own desire tenting his pyjama trousers already.

His heart felt like it was beating so fast that Harry should have been able to hear it and the feeling of his mate leaning over him was making him desperate for more. His body was urging him to give in, and let Harry take whatever he wanted, but although he had wanted to have sex with Harry from the moment that he remembered the night they conceived their child, he was decidedly nervous.

Draco broke their kiss, pushing gently against Harry's chest, until his mate lifted off him very slight and looked down at him with concern. "Harry..." the blond said breathlessly, his head still a little foggy with arousal.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, looking worried; he hadn't meant to push things further than his mate was comfortable with, he wanted Draco to want this as much as he did.

"Can we not, you know...?" Draco requested, blushing as he tried to look away but Harry raised a hand to his cheek, maintaining their eye contact.

"Draco, Love, we will go exactly as far as you want and no further," Harry promised with a smile, pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend's temple. "That will always be true, not just for tonight." Draco might be his submissive, but Harry would never want to pressure him into anything.

Desperate to break the tension and sappiness of the embarrassing moment, and reassured by Harry's words, Draco threaded a hand into his boyfriend's hair and pulled him back down into another kiss. Harry's hands moved under his top and ran over his flat stomach and narrow waist, his fingers dipping carefully below the top of Draco's trousers.

Draco arched his back slightly, finding he could actually use his wings to push himself against Harry's body, even if only for a moment. Harry's hands slipped further under his pyjama trousers, and boldly moved to cup Draco's arse; the submissive twitched in surprise and gasped happily when Harry's nails gently ran over the smooth skin of his cheeks.

Harry took the slightly parted lips as an invitation and brought his tongue back into play, as Draco eased back against the mattress.He hesitated, moving his hand from inside his boyfriend's pyjamas, wanting to make sure that this was what Draco wanted. The blond whined, his hands tugging on Harry's hair a little, in a demand for more, not wanting to stop.

Harry chuckled deeply into their kiss and as he pressed their bodies closer together, the teasing movement of his tongue distracting the blonde from his hand which was continuing its exploration, nowgliding over Draco's pale-skinned torso, underneath the top he was still wearing.

Draco wanted more, the feeling of Harry's ministrations making him almost painfully hard; the wanton moans that were falling from his lips were being swallowed by the kiss he couldn't bear to break. Summoning all his courage Draco gripped the waist of Harry's Pyjama trousers and started to push them down.

Harry gasped against Draco's mouth as his erection was unexpectedly freed; the submissive hadn't been able to move them far, and so they were still around Harry's thighs as Draco's slender fingers gripped around his already-leaking length. He couldn't help but moan, thrusting involuntarily into Draco's hand at the sensation.

Draco chuckled smugly at that reaction, loving the power that he suddenly found he had; power and control always made him feel wonderful and so he didn't know why it shocked him to realise how much of a turn-on taking control during sex would be.

"Merlin!" Harry exclaimed, as Draco's thumb brushed over the tip of his erection. "Damn it, Draco," Harry said, groaning happily, as the blond used the leaking pre-cum to start jerking him off in long smooth strokes. "Too good."

Draco stopped with a smirk. "I can stop if you would like," he told him with mock seriousness, already knowing what his mate would have to say about such a suggestion.

Harry growled leaning down to nip at Draco's jaw, his hands moving to the waistband of his boyfriend's pyjama trousers, quickly sliding them down over the submissive's hips. "The only way we are stopping is if you ask me to," Harry said, as he stroked and gently squeezed his mate's newly exposed hardness.

The most welcome sensation made Draco automatically shift, having to remind himself to move his own hand on Harry's cock when he became distracted by the pleasure flowing through his body. "So good," Draco moaned, and, as Harry pressed kisses to his jaw, the two of them  quickly found a rapid pace, moving in time with one another.

"Love you," Harry whispered, before pressing their lips firmly back together in need as their mutual pleasure built, his own balls pulling up tight as he chased his orgasm. From the noises Draco was making, Harry didn't think the blond was far behind.

Harry came first, and his whole body tensed and twitched as he came hard, a delirious mumble that was something close to Draco's name falling from his lips. With some difficultly Harry managed to keep his hand moving on his mate's hard length, despite the haze of his own climax, and Draco came only a few seconds later.

Neither of them had the energy to speak and it was taking all Harry's will power to keep himself propped up just enough not to crush Draco beneath him. Draco was breathing deeply, eyes closed as he revelled in their post coital bliss, his heart beating fast in his chest, wings and blonde hair spread beneath him and Harry found that that sight affected his breathing more than the physical exertion of recent minutes ever could.

Eventually Harry managed to roll off of his smaller boyfriend and lay down next to him, feeling slightly awkward now that they were lying side by side, their bellies covered in the evidence of their mutual wanking and their trousers still round their thighs.

"I need a shower," Draco stated, his nose crinkling in distaste as he looked down their bodies at the state they were in. He had definitely enjoyed it, but he wasn't such a fan of the general resulting stickiness.

"Me too," Harry agreed, trying not to laugh at Draco's reaction, thinking that doing so probably wouldn't help the slightly tense awkwardness between them.

"I'll go first," Draco insisted as he slid out of bed; pulling up his trousers and grabbing clean pyjamas from his trunk, he headed out of the room.

Harry slid out of bed too, as Draco headed through the door; he discarded his own pyjama trousers, and gathered some clean pyjamas for himself to change into after a shower. "I really hope this gets less awkward," Harry said quietly to the empty room.

-#-

The weather was continuing to get colder as they went into the last week of term. Strong winds that chilled the residents of Hogwarts to the bone howled outside.They had not heard anything from Lucius but Draco didn't seem to be surprised or worried and their increasing confidence with each other in the bedroom seemed to be doing wonders for restoring Draco's faith in himself.

Harry, however, was feeling guilty, increasingly so as Draco showed just how much he cared and trusted him. The guilt at having spied on Draco was eating at him and his concerns about how worried his bonded had seemed that day with his friends was putting him on edge. He so desperately wanted to offer reassurances and promises to Draco, to tell him that everything would be okay, that there was no way he was getting involved in anything related to fighting Voldemort;  at least not until after their child was born. That, however, would take some explaining, as Draco had yet to openly admit to him he had any such concerns.

He sighed as he watched his boyfriend across the Great Hall, loving how Draco tilted his head back as he laughed at whatever Blaise had just said.

"Something's bothering you, Harry," Hermione observed, causing Harry to look away from Draco, to look at his friend in surprise. "Are you going to talk to me about it or would you rather sulk for a few more days?" she asked, sounding quite exasperated.

"I did something stupid," he confessed, glad that Ron was busy trying to finish off a charms essay that was due in the next morning; he really didn't need to hear I-told-you-so's right now.

"Oh really," Hermione said; she didn't actually sound surprised by this and was rolling her eyes at him. "And what, might I ask, did you do exactly?" she questioned.

Harry glared at her, having hoped for a little more support than that, but knowing that he had brought it upon himself. "I was just going to surprise Draco, maybe make him jump, so I followed him, Pansy and Blaise," he explained. "They went to Blaise's dorm..."

"Harry, what were you thinking?" Hermione interrupted quietly, her tone scolding.

"I wasn't, apparently," Harry said self-deprecatingly, "because, before I really thought it through, I was stuck eavesdropping with no way out without revealing myself," he told her. Hermione gave him a disappointed look, but gestured for him to continue. "Most of what Draco told them was stuff I already knew but then he got so upset," he explained, hating that his boyfriend had been in such a state. "He was crying, Hermione; he cried, real tears and everything."

"Oh, Harry," she said sadly, definite sympathy in her voice now; she had seen how much he had come to love Draco and so knew that seeing him upset would have hurt her friend. "Look, come on," she said, grabbing Harry's sleeve as she got to her feet, "let's find somewhere more private to talk."

Harry was only just able to grab the remainder of his treacle tart, as he was pulled up from the table, before Hermione started to drag him from the hall. Harry went to start talking again, to ask where they were going, but Hermione shushed him, letting go of his hand and trusting him to continue to follow her.

"It is about minus ten degrees out," Harry complained, tucking his hands under his armpits in a hope of preserving his fingers, as they left the castle and walked out into the snow covered grounds.

"Well then other people will be less likely to be out here eavesdropping," Hermione told him sharply, pulling her scarf tightly around her neck and casting warming charms on both of them enough to stop them freezing. "So, tell me, what had Draco so upset that he cried?" she asked as they reached the edge of the lake.

"He's scared about what the war means for us," Harry told her, trusting her to keep whatever he had to say to herself. "I understand that he is worried that people will come after him, to get to me; but what he really sounded most upset about was the idea of something happening to me." Harry tried to explain.

"That surprises you, Harry?" Hermione asked with a roll of her eyes; for someone who cared so deeply about others, Harry could be very dense when it came to how others might feel about him. "He loves you, you idiot, so of course he is terrified of losing you. How do you feel when you think about losing Draco?" she asked, hoping to help him understand.

Harry looked sick at even the thought, "It scares me more than anything else ever has," he told her honestly, as the realisation hit. It certainly gave him pause for thought, made him wonder if Draco felt that same fear about him. The idea of someone else needing him to be alive... it was so alien to him.

"I have never wanted to die or anything but it never seemed important for me to survive this war..." Harry tried to explain after a few moments, thinking that Hermione deserved to really understand how much Draco had changed everything.

Hermione looked horrified that Harry would think that way. "But what about Draco and...?" she asked; not only did she not want to lose her best friend and for Draco not to lose his mate, she wanted Harry's child to get a chance to know its father; not to mention for Harry to have a chance to know his child.

"Exactly Hermione," Harry told her. "It was never important to me before; of course I had friends who cared," he added, wanting her to know that she and Ron mattered to him too, "but you would have been perfectly fine without me. But now that I have Draco and we're to be parents," he went on before Hermione could comment, "I will do everything to make sure I can be there for them. And I _really_ want to tell Draco that but..."

"But then he will want to know what made you tell him," Hermione finished with a sigh and a nod of understanding. "Which would then mean you would have to explain how you completely betrayed his trust and..."

"Yeah..." Harry sighed sadly, not even trying to deny that that was what he had done. "After Sirius... died, I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't worth caring about anyone because they would just die anyway. I was all ready never get close to anyone ever again..."

"And then you sort of had Draco forced into your life?" Hermione prompted, a crooked smile on her face and Harry nodded. She hadn't really understood what Harry had been going through since Sirius' death but the change in him was noticeable and she was glad for it.

"And he needed me, literally," Harry said, thinking of the magical energy transfers that were keeping Draco and their child alive. " And the idea of our child... well that scared me more than anything," he confessed. "If I couldn't keep the adults around me alive, how would I protect a small defenceless child?"

Hermione nodded in understanding, waiting silently for him to go on, not wanting to interrupt this burst of honesty from her friend.

"But then I fell for Draco," Harry went on. "I never thought that would happen, but he is so charming and bloody gorgeous, not to mention at least as nervous about everything as I am which just makes him all the more endearing," he ranted softly, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I have to keep them safe, Hermione," he stated, "they are everything I am living for, they are my family."

Hermione smiled at him proudly. "You will, Harry," she assured him, feeling confident about that. "You said it yourself, you will do everything you can."

"But what if it isn't enough?" he asked, his eyes desperately pleading with his best friend to guarantee their safety, even though he knew that she could offer him no such thing.

"Harry," Hermione took his hands in hers, "no one can say for certain what will happen, but we will figure it out," she promised; it wasn't as though Harry and Draco were facing this war alone.  Harry nodded, taking deep calming breaths. "It sounds like you need to work out where you stand in this war," Hermione told him, wanting to be practical about things. "Have you even told Draco about the prophecy?"

Harry shook his head. "I am still not sure how I feel about that anyway," he told her. "And I definitely don't feel like I have any answers about how I am supposed to go about killing Voldemort; he came back from the dead once already for Merlin's sake."

"Has Dumbledore not said anything about it since he told you about the prophecy?" Hermione asked, shocked that the old man could drop something like that on her friend and then not offer him any further guidance.

"He mentioned, near the start of term, that he was working on something and that he would like to share with me later, but..." Harry shrugged, indicating he knew no more than she did. He hadn't put a lot of thought into it since he had come into his inheritance, when Draco and their bond had become a priority.

"You need to talk to him, find out what he knows," Hermione instructed. "If this prophecy is for real then it is your family's lives that are on the line and you need to know as much as possible."

"Yeah, you're right," Harry said, nodding his head in agreement, definitely liking the idea of doing something proactive to protect his family. "I need some answers and Dumbledore is probably the only one who can really give them to me," he agreed.

"As for Draco," Hermione went on, wanting to get back to what they had come out here to discuss in the first place, "he will talk to you about his concerns when he is ready. Until then just be supportive and try not to do anything too reckless."

Harry chuckled, "I'll do my best," he promised her as they started slowly make their way back in the direction of the castle.

-#-

Harry was pacing nervously along the corridor near the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office; he knew he should talk to Dumbledore about the prophecy and about the war but the whole thing made him nervous and in many ways he was much happier pretending none of it was happening. Denial, however, would do nothing to keep Draco and their son or daughter safe and so he took a deep calming breath before starting to reel off a list of various magical and muggle sweets, until cockroach clusters caused the gargoyle to move, allowing him up the stairs.

"Harry, I am glad to see that you have conquered whatever was making you so nervous and decided to join me," Dumbledore said with a soft smile, as Harry entered the office. "Tea?" he offered.

Harry felt slightly flustered by the old man's knowing that he had been so hesitant and quickly declined the offer of tea with a shake of his head, as he took a seat across the desk from the headmaster.

"So, what brings you here today, Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly, leaning forward to peer at the teenager over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"Well, sir," Harry said, mentally bracing himself as he looked up to meet the headmaster's eyes, "I want to know what you have planned to take down Voldemort," he said firmly. "I was happy before to just trust you and go with it, but now..."

"Harry..." Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to stop him. "I understand," he added when Harry opened his mouth to protest. "It has taken me slightly longer than I had hoped to find the information I have been looking for; however, I believe I am getting close to the answers we need."

Harry nodded slowly, frowning slightly as it still sounded a lot like he was being asked to carry on waiting.

"I believe I understand how Voldemort survived the night that he killed your parents and tried to kill you," Dumbledore informed him. "I, however, would like to explain this to you by showing you several important memories, ones that will help you understand the path Tom Riddle took," the headmaster told him. "I would like to test my theories first, but I should be able to do so in the coming weeks and so I suggest we meet again in the new year."

Harry was pissed off; he knew he was being fobbed off again, to be left with little to no information and promises of future explanations. He had to consciously hold his tongue, to keep himself from yelling at the headmaster, knowing that it would not get him to what he needed to know any quicker.

"I understand your concerns for yours and Draco's safety," the headmaster told him, ignoring the glare that Harry was giving him. "I have therefore asked that Tonks be permitted to come and stay in the castle, to act as protection for you both, should you need it."

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Great' he thought to himself; he couldn't help but think that if people hadn't already worked out that Draco might make a good target, then having an Auror following him around was likely to help clue them in. "That really isn't necessary, sir," Harry tried to tell him, feeling frustrated with Dumbledore's attempts to help the situation.

"Nonsense, Harry," Dumbledore told him dismissively. "Besides, she will be teaching Defence whilst she is here; it is preferable to the various Aurors we have had so far this term," the headmaster happily informed him. "I am quite sure that this will be best for everyone; though hopefully it will be for nothing as I am sure that Draco is perfectly safe whilst he remains in the castle."

Harry nodded; resigned to this happening, realising that it was already done deal and that nothing he said was going to make the blindest bit of difference now. At least he liked Tonks; it might even be fun having her around.

"Harry, one last thing before you go," the headmaster said, as Harry went to get up from his chair. "I was wondering if you have had any visions since you bonded with Draco."

Harry's eyes went wide at the realisation. It hadn't even occurred to him, what with everything else in his life becoming so complicated, but the Dumbledore made an excellent point; he hadn't had a single vision since coming into his inheritance.

"No, sir, I haven't. Is that an Erote thing?" Harry asked curiously, still feeling a little stunned by the realisation; he was seriously hoping that it was because of his inheritance, rather than just a co-incidence, because he definitely wouldn't miss that connection with Voldemort.

"I believe that it may be," Dumbledore told him with a small nod of his head. "Though, given the unique nature of the connection between you and Voldemort, I cannot be certain. It is possible that it is merely ... diluting the connection and that, in the most extreme of circumstances, you will still have visions. Or it could simply be that Voldemort has been deliberately closing his mind. I cannot be certain."

Harry nodded again, understanding that it was a complex issue, but hoping that it really was because of what he had become. "Can I go now, sir?" he requested.

The headmaster bowed his head in consent. "I will not allow any harm to befall your new young family, Harry," he said as Harry got up from his seat. "Even if you have your doubts about everything else, please do trust me on that."

Harry actually managed to smile at those words. "I know; thank you, sir," he said honestly, before taking his leave of the office.

He headed towards Gryffindor tower, wanting to get back to his mate; he had not missed the headmaster's careful choice of words, the promises of Draco and their child's safety with no mention of the same for him. Harry would allow Dumbledore to tell him what he knew come the new year but he was not going to throw himself on the fire as he might have before Draco; he had something to live for now and he damned well intended to do so for as long as he could.


	12. Exigency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Severus Snape was pacing in his bedroom, where he had gone to escape the pleas for affection from Lucius, feeling on the verge of tearing his own hair out. He was determined not to give in while Lucius was under Draco’s enchantment, and yet his resolve was wearing thin; they had put the man in his care, put his life-long wet dream in front of him, the most tempting of offers, and no one was telling him he couldn't just help himself.

On the contrary, everyone seemed to be encouraging the idea; Draco, Narcissa and Dumbledore had practically given their blessings. Even the-boy-who-lived-to-be-the-world's-moral-compass, Harry Potter, had raised no objections; though Potter had stayed thankfully quiet on the matter, in a show of restraint that he had not believed the Gryffindor capable of.

But no, he could not allow anything to happen between Lucius and himself; he knew what would happen next. Lucius was regaining his mind, he was sure of that now. Each day he was less able to placate the beautiful blond man, and his normal snobbish, entitled temperament was returning; the temperament that repulsed many people but which Severus just found maddeningly attractive and was making his ability to resist weaken further .

Severus was certain that he would never be allowed to keep him. Lucius wouldn't want to stay and Severus would never want, let alone be able, to force himself on the other man. He didn't understand why the others thought this was a good idea and he had been avoiding many meals just so he didn't have to look at the annoying smile the headmaster kept giving him as ‘encouragement’.

He sighed to himself and moved back out towards the small kitchen in his living quarters; he was in need of tea to calm his nerves.

"Severus," Lucius whispered, as the potions master moved into his sight, stopping the man in his tracks before he could reach his destination.

"For Salazar's sake..." Severus mumbled under his breath in frustration, as he dropped his head to his chest. Steeling himself, he carried on into the kitchenette, and there he set about boiling water for tea, deliberately ignoring the gaze that was watching him.

"Am I permitted a cup as well?" Lucius asked, the tone expectant and so different to the pitiful one used just moments before that it made Severus look up. The potions master didn't respond but simply added more water to be boiled and removed two mugs from the cupboard.

 "Why do you not want me?" Lucius asked sadly.

"Are you kidding me?" Severus snapped at him suddenly, eyes flashing in annoyance; he was finding the constant switches in Lucius' personality confusing to follow. "Of course I want you! I have been in love with you for over twenty YEARS!" the potions master confessed.

"Then why are you denying yourself when I am right here?" Lucius asked with a confused frown, "when I want this as much as you?" He had never thought Severus as the type to deny himself things he wanted.

"Because you aren't you, this isn't really what you want," Severus said sadly, as he close his eyes and pressed his hands against the tabletop in front of him, leaning heavily on them. He sighed with frustration, before pushing himself upright and turning his back on his long-time friend. "Whatever your brat of a son did to you has messed with your head," he explained.

"I can think for myself, Severus," Lucius insisted stubbornly. It was not the first time that the potions master had told him he was being influenced, but he could feel it wearing off. "My head is becoming clearer everyday and I know what I want. I still want you," Lucius told him, the surety in his voice making Severus weak at the knees.

"Fine. FINE!" Severus shouted, turning back around and slamming his hands down on the table in the kitchen. "I give up, I fold, you all win," he declared loudly with a wave of his arms before storming into the living area towards Lucius' room.

Lucius smiled happily. He was standing as close to the bars across the doorway to his room as he could without pressing himself against them, his arm held out between them, reaching for Severus when the potions master's approach was too slow for his liking.

"When you get your mind back and hate me for this, I hope you remember that this was your cursed idea," Severus grumbled, still completely convinced that this was going to come back to bite him in the arse sooner rather than later.

"I won't hate you, Severus," Lucius promised, his voice so earnest and sincere that Severus found himself half believing that for the moment.

"You damned well better be right about that," Severus growled and he reached through the bars to get a firm grip on the front of the blond man's robes. "Last chance." he warned, knowing that once he took this step he would likely find himself unable to hold back.

"Coward," Lucius taunted with a smirk but still gasped as he was pulled forward, his front pushed against the bars and Severus' harsh, demanding lips were pressed against his. Both men were desperate for the contact and it was as though they had suddenly being told that they were allowed to breathe; there was no hesitation as their tongues fought for dominance.

It was not long, however, before Severus allowed Lucius all the control he could want, delighting in the kiss he had waited two decades to receive. Lucius had an almost spicy taste to him and Severus was vaguely aware that it made him tingle all over; their arms were through the bars grasping to hold onto each other, fingers pulling at clothing and hair.

"No... stop..." Severus managed to gasp, pushing himself away from the other man. "You have no idea how much I want this but ..." He looked heartbroken, as though the words he was about to speak were tearing him apart at his very foundation."You don't really want this, this isn't really you," the potions master insisted, reminding himself of all the reasons he hadn't let this happen sooner.

Severus felt the tears burning in his eyes as they built, threatening to fall; but he would not let Lucius see him break, and so it was with great determination that he managed to walk away towards his own room. He drew his wand and managed to cast a silencing spell before he fell to his knees; tears started to fall down his face, unable to be held back any longer and a pained frustrated scream tore from his throat.

"Why....?" he sobbed to himself. It was so glorious, everything he wanted it to be, powerful, hot and full of forbidden lust; he knew he could never give that up that he would spend his whole life wanting to feel that kiss, and more, all over again. For the first time he was seriously considering asking Draco to use his abilities to allow him to keep Lucius but even as the idea came to him he knew he would never be satisfied with this imprisoned version of the man.

He knew he should have been stronger, that he should had resisted, and he silently berated himself for his failure; though in truth he knew that he never could have held off any longer. Now, however, he was certain that there was no way he would be able to let go of Lucius now; one taste and he knew that he would do everything he could to keep from losing the man.

He let himself fall sideways, not even feeling the pain as his shoulder landed on the hard wood of his bedroom floor. He felt like he had been waiting for this to happen his whole life and yet it was all wrong, and so Severus Snape cried, unable to find the motivation or energy to move from his spot on the floor near the door. He was sure that he would remember this night for as long as he lived as the night his spirit broke and hope died.

-#-

"There you are," Draco said, breathing out in relief as Harry came through the door to their room."I was getting worried about you when you didn't show up at dinner, and then weren't here either," he said, watching Harry with concern; there was definitely something off about his boyfriend, who was still standing by the door he had just come through.

"I just needed to walk," Harry stated, his monotone voice worrying Draco even more. "I had a meeting with Dumbledore and I had to think things over," he explained, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Harry, what's going on?" Draco asked, getting up from his seat on their sofas and moving over to his boyfriend when Harry showed no signs of approaching him; it was most unlike the Gryffindor to not want to be close.

"I..." Harry bowed his head, holding out a hand to stop Draco when the blond reached out for him. "I have to confess to something," he said, bracing himself; he knew that this could ruin everything they had worked so hard for but that it would be better than letting it come out further down the line. "It was so stupid and I completely regret it but it was sort of an accident and I never want to lie to you or keep secrets..." he rambled, his gaze still lowered to the floor.

"Okay..." Draco agreed patently, though he felt sick to his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around himself as though it might shield him from whatever Harry had to say. Everything from Harry's body language to the rambled words was making Draco decidedly nervous.

"I followed you," Harry blurted out, knowing that his courage was going to fail him if he hesitated, "under my invisibility cloak... I just wanted to surprise you," he tried to explain sadly; it was taking everything he had not to cry. "I am sorry... _SO_ sorry."

"What? When?!" Draco demanded, confusion written all over his face. This was not at all something he had expected from Harry, the Gryffindor was usually overly moral if anything; and he couldn't figure out when Harry could be talking about.

Harry sighed; he could already hear the hurt in Draco's voice and knew it was only going to get worse when he told him the rest. "The day you had lunch in Blaise's dorm," he admitted, his voice mumbled as he forced himself to look up and meet his boyfriend's eye; he needed to see his reaction.

"What?!" Draco snarled, stepping back away from Harry with a look of shocked betrayal on his face. "How... how could you do that?" he asked, quietly. "I trusted you."

"I know, Draco," Harry said, reaching out for the blond, but Draco only moved further away from him, shaking his head. "Please, Draco, I'm so sorry. I regretted it the second I followed you into the room," Harry tried to explain, already knowing that it wasn't going to be enough. "I love you, I hate that I did this."

"Just stay away from me," Draco snapped, tears in his eyes, blurring his vision as he turned his back on Harry and stormed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"DRACO!" Harry cried out, as he ran to the door that separated them, and knelt in front of it. He pressed his hands and face against the door as he cried. "Draco... I am so sorry, Love. Please forgive me," he begged softly.

-#-

Draco cursed himself for having trusted him; he should have known better but this was Harry Potter, and who could have foreseen such a betrayal coming. Draco cursed himself again when he realised his face was wet with tears; he didn't want to cry over this, he wasn't going to let Harry break him. He was still a Malfoy for Merlin's sake, and had been raised to be an strong, respected wizard.

It must have been the pregnancy hormones that were making him overly emotional, he decided stubbornly. It was probably the reason he had let himself fall so hard and fast for the Gryffindor in the first place, and he felt so foolish for having made himself so vulnerable. Sighing, he sat down with his back to the bedroom door, wrapping his wings around his own shoulders and resting his head in his hands.

"Draco... I am so sorry, Love. Please forgive me," he heard Harry whisper; and Draco wanted to, he really wanted to just say that everything was okay, that he and Harry were fine but he couldn't just let this go.

Draco though that the sudden burst of emotions must have taken a lot out of him, and that he must have fallen asleep where he was sitting; for  the next thing he knew, he was slowly coming back to consciousness. He felt drained and tired, and his arse was numb from having sat on the hard surface for so long. At first, as he came awake, he felt somewhat confused about why he was on the floor; it took a few moments for the painful memories of Harry's betrayal and confession came flooding back.

However, in his anger, he had forgotten just how much he relied on the magical transfers; it had become so natural for them to share those intimate physical connections with Harry all the time that he hadn't needed to think about it at all in days. Now, though, he could feel how much he and the baby needed Harry; his body hurt and he felt weak but Draco managed to move to his knees, his head spinning and his mind foggy. Panic flooded through him as the world seemed to shift. He  lost his balance, and, unable to support his own weight, fell to the floor, landing on his side with his wings lying over the top of him.

-#-

Harry jerked awake, Draco's panic flooding his mind; it was strange because they had never shared emotions without a physical connection between them, but the panic he was feeling was external and he was certain it was coming from his mate. A high pitched cry of fear, which Harry knew was coming from his submissive, cut through the air, and the Gryffindor's own instincts kicked in.

"Draco," Harry whispered to himself, as his body began to fill with adrenaline; he scrabbled desperately to his knees and quickly pushed open the door. He howled in despair at the sight of the beautiful blond curled up on the floor; Draco was paler than usual and clutching at his stomach.  

Harry managed to focus himself, dropping to his knees and pulling Draco into his arms; he clutched to the blond, desperately pressing kisses to his temple and forehead. "Please be okay," he begged. "I love you, Draco; I love our baby. Please be okay." Harry pressed his lips against Draco's and began to cry in relief as the other boy returned the pressure, though weakly.

"Harry..." Draco mumbled, his half-open eyes rolling around unfocused. "I... I..."

"Shush, Love, it's okay," Harry told him tearfully, as he rocked them both; he couldn't bear to think about how close he had just come to losing not only Draco but their child. There was still a chance that he might not have been quick enough, but he couldn't let himself think on that right now.  "Just let me hold you until you get your strength back," he said softly.

Draco relaxed in his arms, his eyes falling shut again, and guilt flared in Harry's gut again at the trust the blond was showing him, despite all that had been admitted that evening. "I love you, Harry," the Slytherin whispered, before falling unconscious a second later.

Harry was trying to calm himself as he continued to rock the blond gently. He didn't loosen his grip on his bonded for a moment, a hand gently resting on Draco's flat belly as he prayed he had gotten to them in time; he would never forgive himself if their argument hurt or, Merlin forbid, cost them their baby.

It was about an hour before Draco's gasping breathing had properly evened out and the colour had fully returned to his cheeks. They would visit Madam Pomfrey in the morning to be sure everything was okay with both Draco and the child he was carrying but first they would rest and let the magic flowing between them do its work.

Harry very carefully and slowly got to his feet with Draco in his arms; he moved them to the bed and lay both Draco and himself down, pulling the covers over them and curling around his boyfriend protectively. Draco mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and shifted as though trying to get closer to Harry, making the Gryffindor smile softly and close his own eyes, and soon he was joining Draco in sleep.

-#-

As Draco's eyes flickered open, he realised he was lying on their bed, curled up against Harry's chest, with the dominant's arms protectively wrapped around him. There was a mild ache in his body, which he assumed was due to his magical energy levels having dropped so low, but more prominent than that was the mental ache in his mind; he was still angry at his boyfriend but he was ready and calm enough to talk about it with him now.

Harry, however, was asleep, if his slow steady breathing was any indication and so Draco remained where he was, feeling the gentle tingles of the magical transfer from their closeness, as he let his mind wander.He was struggling to understand why it was that Harry had decide to confess about spying on him.

It had been a week since that day in the dorms, when he had broken down and cried out his fears to his friends and it would have been so easy for Harry to just say nothing, and Draco was sure that if Harry hadn't said anything, then he likely would have never known what he had done. But he already knew why Harry hadn't kept the secret, Harry had told him why; the Gryffindor hadn't wanted to lie to him, even knowing how much the truth would hurt Draco.

That thought made him smile slightly; he was undeniably glad that Harry felt it was important to be honest with him. He let out a small breath he hadn't been aware of holding as he realised that he would be able to forgive Harry, that he was already starting to. However, he did have questions and would not be happy until they were answered.

He would start with asking about the meeting with Dumbledore that Harry had mentioned; he wanted to know what that had been about, and he suspected it was related to Harry's sudden confession. He thought that it was likely to be what had prompted Harry to own up; though he wasn't sure if, or how, it could be connected to what the Gryffindor had overheard in the Slytherin dormitory the week before.

It was dark in their room and Draco wondered what hour it was; even if it was morning, the late rising sun of winter would not yet have brought light to their room. He ran a hand in a gentle circle over his belly before he froze; memories of the pain, caused by his magical energy levels dropping too low, were coming back to him.

He couldn't really remember what had happened but he figured that Harry must have busted the door down to get to him and Draco was profoundly relived that he hadn't been angry enough to throw up wards to keep the Gryffindor out of their room. Draco ran his hand over his belly and couldn't keep from wondering if their child was still safe and healthy inside him; he felt okay now but it was difficult to tell if Harry had made it to him in time.

Now that the doubt and fears for their unborn child's safety had entered his mind, Draco couldn't stop thinking about it; his heart ached with the idea that they might lose their child, but he had to know, one way or another and he knew that there was no way to tell without help.

"Harry," Draco whispered, as he sat up a little and shook his mate's shoulders to try to wake him. "Harry, wake up," he repeated a little louder, when the Gryffindor didn't respond.

"Time's it?" Harry mumbled half asleep, half opening his eyes to peer up at the blond leaning over him. It was still dark in their room, so he was confused about why he was being woken.

"No idea, early I think," Draco told him dismissively; he really didn't care what time it was, he just wanted them to go and get the answers they needed. "Can we go see Madam Pomfrey?" he requested; he thought he should be panicking, but the fact that he wasn't reassured him that maybe instinctively he knew that everything was alright.

The request to see the school nurse caught Harry's attention and he was suddenly feeling much more awake, though the confusion about what was happening remained. "Are you okay?" he asked in a panic, sitting up quickly and scrabbling for his wand. "Is the baby okay?"

"I'm fine!" Draco snapped slightly, flinching away and throwing a hand over his eyes to protect himself from the sudden light as Harry cast the lumos spell. "And I believe the baby is fine, everything feels fine," he told him, moving his hand down to his flat belly once his eyes had started to adjust. "I would just rather we went and checked given how low my energy levels got last night."

Harry nodded keenly in agreement; now that he was properly awake, his memory about everything that had happened had come back, along with a full dose of guilt. He gave Draco a quick kiss on the temple before sliding out of bed; he hesitated for a moment, slowly turning to face the blond.

"I really am sorry, Draco," Harry said sadly, his eyes looking as forlorn as his words sounded. He wanted to make this right between them but didn't have a clue where to ever start. He was a little surprised, though glad, that Draco had bothered to wake him, and hadn't just gone off to see Madam Pomfrey on his own.

"Harry," Draco said sternly, as he got off the bed and walked around it to stand in front of the other teen. "I know," he told him, taking Harry's hands in his own. He didn't doubt how sorry Harry was but that didn't fix everything. "I forgive you and I am glad you told me the truth. But that said, we are going to have talk about this later. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Harry nodded quickly, his heart already feeling lighter. "I will tell you everything, I promise," he told him earnestly. "But first..." he added, pulling Draco into his arms and holding him close, "... let's make sure you are both okay."

-#-

It turned out to be a little after six in the morning, something that a rather grumpy Madam Pomfrey had been keen to point out to them when the two of them turned up in her medical wing. Once they had told her what had happened, though, her expression softened and the nurse was able to quickly and easily confirm that the child still seemed to be perfectly healthy.

However, once that they knew that all was well, Madam Pomfrey took her time to fully chastise them about not being careful enough and taking unnecessary risks. Draco's magic would prioritise the child, so apparently his levels would have had to drop much lower to have been a serious danger to the foetus but if Harry hadn't got to them so quickly, then things might have been a lot worse.

And so it was that the two teenagers left the medical wing hand in hand, but feeling well and truly ashamed of themselves, about half an hour later. They both knew that they were going to have arguments and get upset or angry with each other at times but this had been something of a wakeup call; they had to start thinking about the baby first and themselves second. They were disappointed in themselves that it had taken Madam Pomfrey to make them realise it.

"Are you ready to tell me about whatever it was that Dumbledore told you yesterday, Harry?" Draco asked an short while later. They had taken seats on the sofa in their room but hadn't cuddled together as they might usually had done; there was a tension between them. "Whatever it was, I am fairly sure that gave you a push to confess about spying on me, Blaise and Pansy. What did he tell you, Harry?" the blond asked again, determined to get his answers.

Harry sighed. Draco was right; the conversation with Dumbledore had made Harry even more certain that he and Draco were going to have to be a team if they were to survive this war, and that meant being honest with each other. "Nothing," Harry told him truthfully, shaking his head.

"But..." Draco said, an annoyed frown forming on his face as he stared at Harry incredulously; he found it hard to believe that Harry was intending to keep things from him again.

"No, no," Harry interrupted quickly, reaching out and taking Draco's hand in his own. "You misunderstand me; I meant that Dumbledore told me nothing. He wouldn't tell me anything; there were excuses and avoidances but no real information, not yet anyway," he explained, and Draco gave a nod of encouragement to tell him to keep going.

"I went to ask him about Voldemort and his plans and..." Harry said, but he paused, knowing he needed to explain as fully as he could. "I need to tell you something," he admitted, turning on the sofa to face Draco more completely, "something that people have guessed at and speculated over, but very few know the truth about."

"Okay," Draco said slowly; as much as he was glad that Harry was being honest with him, he didn't like the nervous expression on his mate's face at all.

"There is a prophecy, about me and Voldemort," Harry told him. Draco was now looking at him with surprised, wide eyes, but Harry went on before the Slytherin had a chance to comment. "It seems to say that one of us will kill the other."

"What does it say... I mean, what exactly?" Draco asked urgently, feeling rather alarmed, but more feeling desperate for more information so that he could do all he could to get Harry through this alive. "Do you know the actual wording of it?" the blond asked; he seemed far more calm that Harry had anticipated.

Harry nodded, and though back over the prophecy, wanting to make sure that he got it exactly right. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..." he said, while Draco watched him with a serious expression, evidently listening closely. "And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies," he quoted fluently. Harry knew it well; he had lost count of how many times he had run over the words himself since he had first heard them.

Draco was silent, apparently thinking hard, and Harry allowed him the time to process the words and meaning of the prophecy, just as he himself had done when Dumbledore had let him hear it for the first time. "Dumbledore expects you to kill him?" the blond asked after a few minutes, and Harry nodded. "And yet he still isn't telling you anything?" Draco questioned with disbelief.

Harry nodded again. "Dumbledore has promised to explain what he can in the New Year and he promised he would keep you and the baby safe," he told him.

"But..?" Draco asked. He thought that surely this was good news but Harry's expression and tone of voice indicated otherwise.

"But it isn't enough!" Harry exclaimed passionately. "I need to know more, and while I am grateful that he is going to keep you and the baby safe, I want to survive this too," he said sternly. "I won't gamble with the lives of my family, my own life included."

Draco smiled at him fondly, shuffling over on the sofa a little and leaning into Harry's side. "I am glad to hear that," he said earnestly. "I am determined that we will all get out of this alive, because I will be damned if I am going to do the whole single parent thing."

"Which is exactly why I want you to come with me to my meetings with Dumbledore in the New Year," Harry told him, wrapping his arms around his submissive mate. "Any plans that involve me, now involve you and I want your opinion on everything he has to say; what good is it being mated to someone with a brilliant, Slytherin mind, if I can't make good use of it?" he asked teasingly, and Draco chuckled in amusement. "I want us to work this out together, for us make a plan together," Harry told him earnestly. "And I want that to be very clear to Dumbledore. You'll come with me, right?"

"Of course," Draco told him firmly, sitting up and pressing a kiss to Harry's lips, glad to have been asked. "I have been planning to ask what you knew about the war and your part in it, for a while anyway," the Slytherin said, relaxing into Harry's arms. "I think that might have been why I got quite so upset when talking with Blaise and Pansy."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking down at the blond in his arms with confusion.

"I don't like not knowing what is going on," Draco explained. "I felt so powerless when I didn't have any idea what you were planning to do. It was like the world was about to snatch you away from me at any moment."

"I am not going anywhere, I promise," Harry said firmly, his hand on Draco's chin to keep the blond looking at him. "I will not even leave the castle without you while you are pregnant; and, even after that, I am going to do everything in my power to stick around," Harry promised, leaning down and capturing Draco's lips in a passionate kiss, that left the blond a little breathless. "I love you," Harry whispered against his mate's lips. "I can't live without you either you know."

-#-

Snape took large strides as he headed in the direction of the headmaster's office, having received Dumbledore's summons. The headmaster had actually sounded worried and so he was keen to waste no time; in his experience, a worried Dumbledore never lead to good outcomes. What he had not expected was to find, however, was the half-conscious form of the headmaster slouched in the chair behind the large desk in the middle of the room.

"What have you done?!" Snape exclaimed as he hurried over to Dumbledore. As he moved forward, he was already making mental notes of the ring and sword, which were on the desk in front of the headmaster.

He didn't even wait for a response before he started waving his wand, muttering the incantations for several spells; they were all he could think of in order to try and halt or at least slow the strange blackness that was already creeping up past the old man's wrist.

"I was foolish, Severus," Dumbledore told him, his voice sounding tired and resigned, and he just watched as the potions master continued to do what he could. "I dared to hope that I could change the unchangeable; I tried to fix what has long been beyond repair," the headmaster told him sadly.

"Foolish, indeed," Snape muttered under his breath, feeling frustrated at how careless Dumbledore had been to get himself into such a state. The headmaster, however, barely noticed as the potions master continued mumbling incantations, and even used a summoning charm to call for a potion. "It seemed that you have now done something else that cannot be fixed," Snape told him snappishly, not really knowing what the old man was rambling about, but he knew there was no undoing the damage that had been done.

"I suspected as much," Dumbledore replied, his weak and trembling voice calm as he gave a small nod of his head. He was only vaguely aware of Snape gracefully catching the phial of potion that came flying towards them.

"Drink this," Snape instructed firmly, pressing the small glass container against the headmaster's worryingly grey looking lips. It was all he could do for the man now. "I have containing the curse to this hand as best I can," he informed the headmaster gravely, "but it is extraordinarily powerful and..."

"How long do I have?" Dumbledore interrupted, inspecting his blackened, dead looking hand. Already his breathing was easing up and he did not need to hear Severus' reasons for not having been able to help him more; he had known what a fatal mistake he had made from the moment he had slid the ring onto his finger.

"A year... maybe, I cannot be certain," Snape snarled; Dumbledore's calmness was only aggravating him more. He did not know how the man could remain so when such irreparable damage had been done. "You should not have tried this alone, you should have called me sooner," Snape told him sternly, "we might have..."

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, holding up his good hand to halt the potion master's rant before he could really get going. "You have done all I can ask of you, and I consider myself lucky to have you around. You have bought me a very valuable year of life."

"Surely you must have known it was cursed," Snape pointed out grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt genuinely angry with the headmaster for his reckless behaviour; Dumbledore was supposed to be getting them through this war and now it seemed he was going to die, and sooner rather than later.

"Like I said, Severus," Dumbledore said firmly, peering at the man over his half moon spectacles, "I was a fool."

Snape hummed in agreement, turning to frown at the ring and sword on the desk. His scowl deepened as he noted the large crack in the stone that was set in the ring, piecing together what he thought must have happened. "And you thought that destroying the ring would remove the curse?" he asked sceptically, not sure why the headmaster would have thought such a thing.

The old man chuckled wryly; he was rather touched that Severus was clearly so upset about his impending mortality, and that the potions master was so certain that he should have known better. "I was, no doubt, delusional," the headmaster told him kindly.

"Apparently," Snape sneered. "At least tell me this was important," he requested with a sigh. The only thing that would make the loss of his elderly mentor worse would be to know that it had been for nothing.

"It was of great importance, I assure you," the headmaster said with a small smile as he leaned forward, resting against his desk as he watched the potion master closely. "I do not fear death, Severus, and to do so now would do me little good," he pointed out. "I am already an old man and you know that when Voldemort learns of the Malfoys' betrayal, he will turn to you to complete his wishes."

"I will do no such thing," Snape snapped; his frustration with the headmaster’s perpetual calmness was starting to show more and more. He knew what the headmaster was asking despite the vagueness of Dumbledore's words, but wanted no part in it.

"As you yourself said, Severus, I have maybe a year," Dumbledore said with his most patient tone, looking the potions master in the eye. "But in the end, you will need to..." the headmaster tried to explain; however, Snape didn't want to hear it.

"I will not discuss this with you now, you must rest," the potions master told him with finality, moving across the office to leave; it was bad enough that the headmaster was going to die so soon, but Severus would not let that be at his hand, he wasn't even going to discuss it. "Whatever it is you have planned," he added, turning to look at Dumbledore across the office, "you need to share it with others."

Dumbledore simply nodded; that much was true, particularly now his death was so imminent; he had secrets that he could not afford to take to his grave. "I have confirmed enough that I will begin doing so shortly, I assure you," he informed Snape.

Snape frowned again, knowing that he would have to trust Dumbledore in this matter, and so he gave a curt nod before leaving the office. 'That man will be the death or saviour of us all,' Severus thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs and back out into the corridors of the school.

He managed to maintain him calm controlled expression in place as he made his way through the school, and was thankfully bothered by no one. However, once he reached the privacy of his own rooms, he could feel his mask slipping, and so ignored Lucius' pleas for his attention, and made his way into his bedroom.

Severus closed the door behind himself, and leaned his back against it. He had to take a moment to calm himself, feeling overwhelmed by the knowledge that the man he had so much respect for would be gone from this world within the year. It tore at him and the pain of the anticipated grief resonated in his soul.

He felt rather bitter too; despite the headmaster promise to let others in on his plans, Severus felt sure that he would not be included in that number. He was sure that Potter, on the other hand, would be one of the first to be told and, loathe though he was to go out of his way to protect the reckless child, he would do so for Draco's sake. As his equanimity slowly returned, he made a vow to himself. Whatever happened, he would not see that young couple manipulated in the old man's plans.


	13. Exposure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

It was amazing to both Harry and Draco how quickly the rest of the term passed, and now the holidays were quickly creeping up on them. It was more or less a given that Harry and Draco were going to be staying in the castle for Christmas; there wasn't really anywhere else for them to go. There was, of course, no chance that Draco could go home, not that either of his parents were there anyway; and Harry would never choose to return to the Dursleys' house, nor was he about to let them near his mate.

Ron had assured them that they were both welcome to join the Weasleys for Christmas. However, Harry didn't want them to have to spend the holiday dealing with Ginny's sulking, nor answering questions from the various brothers and a fussing Mrs. Weasley, and that wasn't even considering the practically certain awkwardness between Draco and the Weasleys. It all just sounded like a bit too much for them to handle and so Harry had turned down the offer with thanks. Therefore they were left with no choice but to spend the holiday at Hogwarts, not that either of them was particularly upset about this.

Ron, however, had seemed actually disappointed that they wouldn't be coming to The Burrow. "You can't avoid the rest of my family forever," the red-head had pointed out. "You're going to have to tell them something, and sooner rather than later. As it is, I bet Mum's not going to happy that you haven't already told her about Draco and... you know, the baby and all that."

Harry had scowled at him for that, but had to admit that his best friend had a point; Mrs Weasley did, after all, consider him practically one of her children. In truth, he knew that he had been avoiding talking to her because he knew that once she knew, that she would insist on telling all the rest of the family.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of his bond with Draco, but he wasn't sure how the rest of the Weasleys were going to react to him being so permanently bonded to a Malfoy, given the tension between the two families. He thought that perhaps he was worrying for nothing, or at least he hoped so, but either way, he comforted himself with thoughts that Christmas was not the time to deal with such issues, regardless. He would spend Christmas doting on Draco and worry about his adoptive family in the New Year.

Hermione had accepted her own invitation from the Weasley family, only to then berate Harry when she found out that he and Draco hadn't accepted theirs.

“You love the Weasleys,” Harry reminded her, rather amused by her reaction to knowing she would be the only guest staying at the Burrow over the holiday. The two of them were sat on the sofa in Harry and Draco’s rooms, Hermione having escaped there after getting annoyed with Ron for not having even started his Herbology essay that was due to the next day.

“Of course, I do,” Hermione said dismissively. “But who is going to help me escape from the Weasley madness when it inevitably all gets a bit much?” she asked, looking at him imploring. She would of course still go, even without Harry, but she would have preferred for him to be there too; at least then they could have shared the brunt of Mrs Weasley’s fussing. Harry, however, had just laughed and hadn’t been swayed at all.

“Sorry, Granger,” Draco said, from where he was sat in one of the armchairs, looking up briefly from the book he had had his head buried in for the last half an hour. “I am selfish enough that I am not willing to share Harry this Christmas,” he told her matter-of-factly. “It is our first one together, after all.”

Hermione gave a small sigh and nodded her understanding.

“I suppose that’s true,” she said, smiling indulgently at Draco, clearly thinking that his desire to share the Christmas holidays with Harry was rather endearing. “I am just going to miss you this Christmas,” she added, turning back to Harry, as Draco went back to his book.

“I know, I’m going to miss you too, and Ron,” Harry told her earnestly, reaching out to take her hand. “And Mrs. Weasley’s cooking,” he added with a grin, causing Hermione to laugh.

“Well, I better go check on Ron and see if he has finished that essay yet,” she said getting to her feet. “I promised him I would look it over if he could get it done before I got back. I just can’t believe he left it until the last minute again,” she added with an exasperated sigh and a shake of her head as she headed out of the room.

Harry turned to look at his boyfriend, and the smug grin that broke out of Draco's face the second that the door had shut behind Hermione was too much for Harry to handle. “I can’t believe you,” he said, unable to keep himself from bursting out laughing; he didn't really want to encourage Draco's manipulations of his friends but Hermione had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. "You, Love, really are a brilliant Slytherin,” he told the blond proudly. "You almost even had me convinced."

"Well,” Draco said, getting to his feet and putting his book down on the coffee table, so that he could give Harry his full attention, “with the way she was going, and knowing your impulsive reactions to any and all guilt trips, you were going to end up signing us up for Christmas with the Weasleys," he said, scowling slightly as he straddled himself across Harry’s lap. "And, like I said, I am not sharing you."

"Aww, Draco,” Harry said, threading his fingers through the back of the blond’s hair and pulling his boyfriend down for a gentle, sweet kiss. “That was almost romantic," he said teasingly, but was left unable to say anything more, as Draco pressed their lips together once again.

-#-

Term finally ended just a few days before Christmas, and very next day the majority of the students were heading down to Hogsmeade to catch the train to London, where they would be reunited with their families. Harry and Draco said goodbye to their friends at the Castle, not wanting to make the journey down to the wizarding village only to have to make their way back again after the train had left.

Hermione and Ron had both asked again if they were sure they didn’t want to join them, and Blaise had even offered them a chance to join him for the holidays; but, declining the kind offers, and after exchanging festive well-wishes and hugs, they managed to send their friends off in the direction of the waiting carriages.  

Draco wrapped his own arms a little tighter around himself, and leaned in a little closer to Harry, trying keep the sharp bitter cold of the Scottish winter at bay as they watched the carriages head off through the snow. "So what are we going to do with the next couple of weeks, given that we have this time all to ourselves?” he asked, looking up at his boyfriend.

"I could think of one or two ways to pass the time," Harry told him with a devious wink as he spread his large green wings out behind himself. Draco smiled gratefully, pressing his body against Harry’s and stealing a kiss, as the curtain of green feathers wrapped around them like a cocoon to keep them warm.

-#-

Lucius closed the book he was reading and moved over to the bars across his doorway as he heard the potions master moving around.

“How long are you planning to pretend I don’t exist, Severus?” he asked calmly, his eyes fixed on the other man, as Severus drew his wand and wordlessly transported one of the two plates of food the house elves had brought into Lucius’ cell.

His friend gave no reply, and so, having nothing else to do, the blond turned to look at the meal that was now on his table. While it might not be the quality he demanded of his own elves, it looked to be at least somewhat edible. One could hardly expect gourmet food in a school, after all, and the meals he had been given during his imprisonment thus far had done him no harm.

"Why are you so scared to let something happen between us?" he asked, turning his attention back to Severus, who had taken a seat at the table to eat his own dinner.

The Potions Master paused with his fork half way to his mouth; he sighed as he put it back down on his plate.

"I have told you before,” he said quietly, his voice sounding strained as though it took him great effort to speak the words, “you aren't in your right mind at present and when you are, I am quite certain that you will not want this." Severus shuffled his chair and plate along the table a little, so that his back was turned towards Lucius more completely and once again began to eat.

"I am regaining more of myself each day, and you know it," Lucius pointed out, feeling frustrated at Severus’ altruistic streak. He knew that Draco had done something to make him fall in love with the potions master, but he knew there was more to it than that. He was sure something lasting could come of this if he could simply get Severus to hear him out.

But once again, Severus offered no reply.

"You may be right,” Lucius said after a few moments, and he was pleased to see the other man freeze. “Once this enchantment, or whatever it is, is gone, I will likely no longer feel able to admit my feelings for you,” he admitted, knowing himself well enough to realise that his recent openness regarding his feelings was not his usual behaviour. “I will likely hate that you know of my… desires at all. However, while I will no doubt deny them fiercely, they will not be gone."

Slowly Severus pushed his plate away and rose from his seat, hesitantly turning to face Lucius. He was rather surprised by the blond’s admission, but wasn’t sure whether to believe that Lucius was speaking the truth. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly possible that Lucius had spent all these years returning his feelings but hiding the fact in shame. Over the years many people had hinted at it but he had always thought they spoke in jest.  He hadn’t actually believed that it could be true; he hadn't dared to allow himself to believe such a thing.

"Severus,” Lucius said, his voice pleading as he looking the potions master in the eye, “you will have to be the brave one." Right now he was certain of what he wanted, and had the courage to say it and risk that rejection, but he could already feel that desperate recklessness fading day-by-day.

Severus scowled; what was it with people telling him to be brave? It was almost as if they thought him to be some Gryffindor. It frustrated him no end that they seemed to be oblivious to how scared he felt of facing Lucius’ rejection, for he was sure that that was one thing he could never survive. Already he was convinced that he would have to face his friend’s anger once the last of Draco’s influence was gone and even the thought of that made him feel quite nauseous.

"Please, Severus," Lucius begged, his slender fingers wrapping around the metal bars. He gave a small almost imperceptible sigh, his expression softening to a smile as Severus began to move towards him across the room. “Please,” he said again, as the potions master came to stand in front of him for the first time since the kiss they had shared.

“I cannot do this, Lucius,” Severus said earnestly, all but radiating his sadness into the room around him. He wanted to, he wished that the circumstances were different, but he could not deny the reality of their situation.

"I barely feel the influence I was under now," the blonde explained, determined to sway him, to talk him into letting them both surrender to their emotions. "I am more myself and yet I find I still am left with this undeniable desire to be with you,” Lucius went on determinedly, “emotions… feelings that I had buried so deep I had almost forgotten, but they have always been there."

"I don't want you to hate me,” Severus snapped, turning to face away. He wished that Lucius would just let it be, but he knew his friend well enough to know that he would not. “I do not want you to hate yourself,” he added more calmly, turning back to Lucius once more, “especially not for being with me." It was hard to admit, and Severus could no longer meet the other man’s eye, and dropped his sadden gaze to the floor.

"Then help me accept my feelings, for they are part of me!" Lucius yelled; seeing the potions master so forlorn was stirring something in his soul and made him want to take that sadness and banish it. "I already hate myself, I am stuck hating myself for feeling these things for you,” Lucius told him angrily, though it was anger at himself more than anything. “I was always taught that it was wrong, you know that much. Help me understand this, let it be something great; let me be allowed to be in love with you for once in my life, Severus."

The potions master was somewhat surprised that his legs were still managing to keep him upright, given how badly they were shaking; he was starting to hope, daring to believe Lucius and it was both utterly terrifying and exhilarating all at once. He reached out a hesitant hand, as though needing to check that Lucius really was there, really saying all the things he needed to hear, and not just some figment of his imagination.

Lucius took Severus’ hand carefully in his own before the potions master had a chance to pull back again. "I love you, Severus," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper, as he pressed the back of the hand against his cheek, nuzzling it slightly in an act of gentleness that the professor had not believed Lucius capable of. "Not because of any spell or influence of others but because of who you are,” he went on, pressing a kiss the hand he still held in his own, “because you always saw me for who I was and stood by me anyway."

Severus opened his mouth to try and speak, but his voice seemed to have taken an unauthorised leave of absence. He was trembling and was mentally cursing himself for feeling like a teenage girl falling in love for the first time. Though he supposed that he was, at least the falling in love part; he was thankful that he was not, never had been and never would have to be a teenage girl. He was, despite all his best efforts, falling in love with Lucius all over again. He didn’t mean to let it happen but it was empowering when the man was standing in front of him, returning his affections, and it made him feel young and alive in a way he hadn’t in a long time.

Severus looked Lucius in the eye, his hand still resting in the other man’s, and didn’t allow himself to think on it further, before waving his wand and muttering an incantation under his breath before placing his wand carefully on the nearest surface, which just happened to be a bookshelf. He couldn’t look away from the tall blond, as he stepped forward, the spell allowing him, and only him, to pass through the bars as though they were nothing more than smoke and into the room beyond.

Lucius smirked at him slightly, looking more than a little pleased at having talked Severus into at least giving him this much of a chance; the sight sent glorious shivers down Severus' spine, his heart hammering in his chest.

"I love you too," Severus admitted rather breathlessly; his whole body was thrumming with arousal, and he couldn't help but step up closer to the blond, his heart beating harder and faster than he remembered it ever having done in the past.

"I know," Lucius stated confidently, his smirk growing as he pulled the potions master against him. They both pushed the lengths of their bodies against each other's and Lucius wasted no more time before tilting his head down enough to capture Severus' lips with his own.

Twenty years of mutual wanting seemed to explode between them in that moment. Two sets of hands, pulling at each other's clothes, desperate to get as close as possible, closer even, until they wouldn't know where one ended and the other began; tongues explored their mouths and teased, heightening their desire, and depriving them of oxygen until they felt light headed.

Lucius didn't break their kiss as he turned them both around and started to walk Severus backwards across the room. It was slightly awkward but he managed to slip his arms out of his robe, not caring as he let it fall to the ground; it was then that the tall blond turned his attention to getting Severus out of his robes too. Unbuttoning the potion master's top, he slid it over Severus' shoulders, exposing his pale but toned chest and letting the garment fall to the floor.

Severus was breathing deeply as Lucius pulled back from their kiss and looked him over. The blond continued to remove Severus' clothing before gently trailing his slender fingers over the exposed skin; a smirk crossed his lips as he pushed firmly but gently.

Severus fell backwards with a gasp at the unexpected action, not having had a moment to brace himself, and landed with his back on the bed. He leant up on his elbows just enough to be able to watch as Lucius removed his own top and then trousers. Severus thought that the man somehow looked even taller without his clothes, his long hair paler and his face more handsome; Lucius may not be muscular but he was nothing shy of beautiful to Severus.

Looking very pleased with himself and the reaction he was getting from the potions master, Lucius crawled onto the bed, leaning over the smaller man. He was straddling Severus, his knees either side of the man's legs as he undid the potion master's belt before pulling down both trousers and underwear, exposing the already hard length beneath.

Severus helped Lucius to shift the clothing down his slender legs, and was only a little surprised by how suddenly vulnerable and apprehensive he felt, being completely naked and more or less at the mercy of the older man. However, despite the anxiousness he felt, there was a thrill of anticipation leaving him eager for more.

Severus cast a wandless and wordless summoning charm; Lucius chuckled deeply when the potion master caught and then handed him a small pot of what appeared to be homemade lube. Severus narrowed his eyes, silently challenging Lucius to comment. The blond man above him simply just chuckled again, his smirk firmly in place as he opened the pot and covered his fingers.

Lucius moved one of his legs between Severus' as he rubbed his slicked fingers together to warm them slightly. The pressure again the inside of this thigh, and the sight of Lucius' lubricated digits made Severus' already hard member twitch with anticipation. "You'll enjoy this," Lucius promised, as he moved his other leg between Severus' and  ran his fingers of his unlubed hand smoothly over the potion master's cock teasingly.

Severus moaned softly before he could stop himself. He felt he had waited a lifetime for this moment and he was half convinced that he was going to lose his mind. He felt the mild discomfort barely a second later as a slicked finger slid into him but knew it was going to become a lot more than a single digit before they were done.

The deft fingers stroking his length helped keep Severus' mind from the uncomfortable stretching the addition of a second finger caused. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to close his eyes and just enjoy the sensations or keep them open and watch the glorious sight of Lucius leaning over him.

"Look at me, Severus," Lucius demanded, his voice deep and breathy with arousal as he spoke, making up the other man's mind for him.

Severus' eyes seemed to darken impossibly more as he fought to keep them open; the simple instruction felt so much harder to follow than he had expected, as his body was so pleasurably assaulted by deft fingers. His fingers scrunched the sheets beneath him, and he cried out, something between a wanton moan and a gasp of pain, as Lucius slid a third finger inside of him; Lucius used his whole body to ease Severus' legs further apart, leaving the potions master gloriously displayed to his eyes as he leaned down to press kisses to his jaw.

"Please, Lucius, please," Severus begged; he was not normally one to speak in bed but the man leaning over him, preparing him, stroking him, was driving him to distraction and he couldn't take much more.

"As you wish, Severus," Lucius chuckled softly, his voice gruff with lust. Removing his fingers from Severus arse and releasing his hold on the man's cock, he made quick work of removing his own underwear; his own length was already hard and ready from the arousing sight spread on his bed.

He added some of the lube to his member before leaning down and kissed Severus again, as he gripped the potion master's thighs, spreading the man's legs wider. He shifted his hips forward, the head of his cock rubbed against Severus' entrance and he watched as the younger man's eyes dilated in anticipation, eyes widening as he used a hand to help push passed the first ring of muscle.

"Oh Merlin, Lucius," Severus groaned, as he felt Lucius push into his body. It burned, it hurt; he wanted more and less all at once, wanted to pull away and for Lucius to push in further.

Lucius hands moved to Severus' hips, the potions master's hands quickly moving to cover them. The blond groaned, as he pushed further into the man; it was tight, tighter than he had anticipated and so very different from all the times he had taken his wife. He was certain that this was better; it was as though this was who he was supposed to be with, this was who he was meant to be inside.

Lucius wrapped a hand around Severus' length and stroked him, hoping to encourage more of the delicious sounds that the man was making, and wanting to distract him from any pain he might be feeling. He rubbed a thumb over the tip of Severus' cock, causing it to release a small bead of pre-cum.

The power was intoxicating to Lucius; he couldn't deny how much it turned him on to know that Severus had surrendered his body to him, that he could make the man feel whatever he wanted. It was amazing to Lucius that his friend was trusting him to bring him pleasure; however, the blond was more than willing and, now that he had the chance, he was desperate to watch Severus come undone.

It took a moment, but Lucius could feel Severus' relaxing, growing used to the intrusion. He pushed himself further into the potion master's body, taking his time so as not to hurt him; it wouldn't do to have Severus not willing to consent to a repeat performance, after all. Lucius had his erection about halfway buried inside the slightly younger man and he pulled back out a little before pushing himself in again, sinking deeper into Severus' body, and making them both groan in pleasure.

His hands maintained their grip on Severus' hips, the potion master's hands on his arms, as though trying to pull him closer. "Merlin, Lucius, just move," Severus said snarkily, when Lucius was taking too long, and the blond smirked, before starting to shift his hips again repeatedly, thrusting gently as he could, settling deeper into the other man's body with each time.

The sounds being drawn from the smaller man lips were as enticing as his body; Lucius had thought Severus might talk dirty or be demanding but somehow the knowledge that he was a moaner was even more beautiful that the alternatives. He thrust in harder, his own control starting to wane.

Apparently it was the right thing to do because Severus' back arched and he cried out in pleasure; Lucius repeated the motion. "Yes, more," Severus groaned out, his eyes pinching shut instinctively as Lucius brushed over the sensitive nerves inside him.

Lucius was only too happy to oblige such a request, burying himself deep into the potion master's body, and soon they were writhing together. Lucius hands were on Severus' waist as he thrust in deeply, his cock rubbing against that bundle of nerves that was quickly driving his new lover insane.

It was wonderful, both of them independently coming to the conclusion that this was what sex was supposed to be and that it would never feel right with anyone else ever again. Severus almost screamed when he came, ribbons of white cum between them, his muscles clenching and dragging Lucius suddenly after him, only a few seconds later.

Gasping a little as he tried to catch his breath, Lucius carefully slid out of Severus' body and lay down on the bed next to his friend of more than twenty years. He was exhausted and sated in a way he had never felt after sex before. Severus was feeling much the same way if the deep breaths he was taking were any indication.

Neither of them could find the words to express how they felt in that moment, and it was a few minutes before Lucius reached over and rolled Severus gently into his arms. Shifting around a little, he slid the blankets from beneath them, pulling the bed covers over both their naked bodies, uncaring about the mess they were in and just wanting to be close. Severus sighed quietly, as Lucius held him, and it was no time at all before they had both fallen into the most restful sleep they had had in years.

-#-

It was Christmas morning, and Draco and Harry were sat on the floor in the living area of their rooms. The blond was leaning sideways against his dominant mate, so that his wings weren't crushed. The two of them had been enjoying the holiday period, relishing the time they had to themselves, without friends demanding any of their time or attention.

Things were good between them, comfortable, but physically their relationship seemed to have reached a bit of a road block. It seemed that the longer they left actually having sex, the more nervous they both became; it was a hurdle that they knew they would need to conquer soon before their anxieties over it got any worse.

However, neither of them were actually going to worry over that when things were so good between them at the moment; they were becoming increasingly comfortable with each other's bodies and mutual touching was becoming a more normal part of their relationship.

They were both dressed only in pyjama trousers and Harry's fingers were drawing gentle circles on Draco's exposed belly; he secretly loved the occasional giggles that the blond would make when he found a ticklish spot.

"You know, sometimes I almost forget that there is actually a person growing in there," Draco told him, hand resting over Harry's stilling the movement. "I am more or less always aware that I am pregnant," he tried to explain, his head leaning against Harry's chest, "but sometimes it is like my brain is still processing what that really means."

"I get that," Harry said, humming thoughtfully, resting his cheek against the top of Draco's head as he held him close. "Every time I think it has really hit me that we are going to be parents, to a little person who is half you and half me, then it hits me all over again."

"What if we mess this up, Harry?" Draco asked quietly; it was something he had been thinking about a lot the last few days. "I don't know the first thing about being a parent and in a little over six months we are going to have this tiny little person, who is completely dependent on us for everything."

Harry chuckled; he found it kind of sweet that Draco was worrying about that. "We will be fine," he assured his submissive; it wasn't that he thought it was going to be easy or anything, but it wasn't like they would be expected to manage completely by themselves.

Draco hummed sceptically, turning his head to look up at his mate. He appreciated Harry's confidence but that didn't chase away his doubts and concerns. Harry sighed, pressing a kiss to Draco's forehead.

"Do you really think that anyone actually knows what they are doing the first time?" Harry asked, a soft smile on his face, not liking seeing his submissive so worried. "Besides," he went on, "Hermione will have read a hundred books on the subject before this little one is born, and will be able to provide us with all the reading material we could ever want. Pansy will be so besotted with this baby that we will probably have to fight her just to get cuddles with our own child."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle at that, knowing that Harry was probably completely right on both fronts. He was also considering looking up some reading material for himself before Granger could present them with a reading list; they might be doing better with each other but that didn't mean he wanted to be told how to raise his own child by her.

"That isn't even starting on your mother and Mrs Weasley," Harry pointed out, running his fingers through Draco's hair as the submissive rested his head against him once more. "They will likely be around to offer us more advice than we could ever want. And we both know that the rest of our friends will be around to support us too."

Draco was grinning by the time Harry was done, knowing that his mate was right. They weren't doing this on their own and their baby was going to be very well loved and cared for. "Thank you," he said, leaning his head back and smiling up at Harry.

"What for?" Harry asked, his nose and forehead cutely scrunched in confusion.

"For knowing what to say to make me feel better about everything." Draco explained, pushing himself up enough to press his lips against Harry's in a chaste kiss.

"Well I am nervous about everything too," Harry admitted, not wanting to let Draco think he was the only one with concerns. "All those things you're scared of messing up, I am scared of making a mess of them too," he confessed. "I am just kind of accepting that we won't be perfect at this being a family thing; expecting us to be would be pretty unrealistic. We'll figure it out as we go."

"Family," Draco said, with a happy sigh.

Harry chuckled and kissed the top of his submissive's head. "Yeah, I like the sound of that too."

-#-

The Weasley family Christmas was as rowdy as it always was. Everyone had had a great day, loving the presents they had been given and feeling overly stuffed from the endless supply of food Mrs. Weasley had provided. Ron and Hermione seemed to be feeling a little awkward in the family situation without Harry as a buffer and Ginny was ready to lock them in a room together till they would give in and snog already.

She was, however, still feeling pretty pissed off at Ron for the way he had spoken to her that day after quidditch practice, and so she was staunchly ignoring her brother. She was not feeling very kindly towards Hermione either, given that she and Ron were both supporting Harry's inexplicable sudden fling with Malfoy.

Whatever their reasons, she was feeling rather bitter towards the pair of them at present, and therefore she had decided to let them continue to tiptoe around each because she was in no mood to help them fix their love lives when they had happily watched hers crash and burn.

Which is how it came to be that the early evening of Boxing Day found Ginny sitting on her bed, having some quiet time; as much as she loved her brothers, they were being even louder than usual, and Fred and George had been in an extra troublesome mood in the excitement of Christmas. She was currently reading through a book containing lots  magical tales that her mother had read to her many times as a child; she had come across it when tidying her room to make space for Hermione to stay.

She pulled the quilt, which her brothers had given her for Christmas, tightly around her shoulders, keeping warm as she started on another yet another story in the book. It was a love story, one she remembered her mother having read to her a couple of times; it wasn't one of her favourites, but it was kind of sweet. It was about a young couple who destiny thrown together, binding them with a child and blessing them with wings.

There was a soft, fond smile on her face as she read the vaguely familiar story. However, it wasn't until she turned the page and saw the illustration of the couple in a warm embrace, wings on show that something clicked; the familiarity of the wings, particularly the distinctive colours, made her eyes widen in disbelief.

She hadn't thought about this story, and had always believe that it was just that, simply a story, a legend; but now she couldn't help but wonder if it was possible. Was that what had changed everything? It seemed like madness to think that she might have discovered Harry's real secret, by chance, in a children's book, but it really did explain a great deal.

The moment of shock wearing off, Ginny threw the blanket from her shoulders and shuffled herself off the bed, heading out of her room into the hallway. She had to make a real effort to calm her pace, not wanting to be yelled at for running in the house. She banged hard on Ron's door the moment she reached it, hoping that he was inside; otherwise she would have to wait until later to speak to him about this, and she already felt like she was about to explode from curiosity.

"Who is it?" Ron's voice called out, and Ginny practically sighed with relief.

"It's me," Ginny called out eagerly. "I have to ask you something," she told him, really hoping he wasn't going to be a prat and tell her to go away or something.

"Come in," he responded after a few seconds, sounding a little exasperated.

Ginny pushed the door open and stepped into the room; she spotted Ron sitting on his own bed, much like she had been on hers, and quickly closed the door behind herself, so that they wouldn't be disturbed. Ron was more likely to tell her the truth if they were actually alone.

Ron seemed to have been reading the biography of some famous quidditch player; she was fairly sure that it was the Christmas present that Harry had given him. Now though he was looking at her curiously, waiting for her to speak. Ginny moved over, taking a seat on the edge of Ron's bed, placing her own book into his lap on top of the biography.

"This is what happened to Harry, isn't it?" she asked with the authoritative tone that she had inherited from her mother, jabbing her finger at the picture of the two Erotes. "I am sure you have been told to tell me nothing but..."

"You're right, I can't tell you anything," Ron interrupted, "this isn't my secret to be telling, Ginny." However, the look in his eyes, and the way they were flicking back and forward between her and the picture in the book, told her enough.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny said, sounding slightly faint; of course she had suspected it from the moment she had seen the picture, but Ron had essentially just confirmed it. "This explains everything; everyone's sudden change of heart when it comes to Malfoy, the wings, the secrecy... YOUR complete support of Harry's relationship with someone who you hate."

"Ginny, this is dangerous territory; if it got out..." Ron pleaded, snapping the book shut, and looking at his sister imploringly. Though he was aware that she already knew far too much for him to be able to deny the truth now.

"I won't tell anyone," Ginny said, looking horrified at the idea. Ron looked sceptical. "I don't want to hurt, Harry; I love him, Ron, always have really," she explained, wanting her brother to understand. "This helps though, knowing why," she added with a sigh, shrugging her shoulders.

"Ginny..." Ron said with exasperation; he knew how she felt about Harry, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with her talking to him about it.

"Maybe you guys can stop completely ignoring me now?" Ginny asked, looking Ron in the eye with a stern glare. She still wasn't happy that she had had to figure this out for herself; she had no idea how long they might have chosen to leave her in the dark.

"Maybe you can stop being a crazy bitch now?" Ron snapped back; he knew that he probably shouldn't talk to his sister that way but he had grown seriously tired of her entitled brattish attitude. It was hard enough dealing with everything going on with Harry without throwing her issues in the mix.

"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed indignantly, giving her brother a shove for his rudeness. "I didn't have all the information," she said firmly, pointing a finger at Ron, "so from my perspective..."

"I don't really much care what your perspective was, Ginny," Ron told her, batting away the finger she had pointed at him. "This is Harry's business that you are nosing around in, and the way you have been treating him is completely out of order. And you know it," he added, a little smug at the look of guilt that crossed her face.

Ginny sighed and hung her head, mulling it all over. She could kind of see now that she might have been somewhat unreasonable;  she had just really hated not understanding. She still didn't _like_ that Harry was with Malfoy, but at least now she knew why. "Fine, I owe Harry an apology; I get it," she told her brother huffily. "At least now I understand that he is with Malfoy because he has to be, not because..."

"No, Ginny," Ron interrupted, not about to let her go down that road of thinking even for a second, "you don't understand." He gave a frustrated as he sat up in bed, dropping both the book of containing the Erotes and the biography he had been reading onto his bed side table, before fixing his little sister with a very stern glare.

"Harry _loves_ Draco," Ron told her, trying not to look too put out by the truth of that. "He _wants_ to be with Draco. Sure it started because of their Erote inheritance," he admitted, because there was no denying that is was fairly improbably that the two of them would have ended up together without some fairly major intervention from the fates, "but now..."

"You have got to be kidding me," Ginny snarled, getting to her feet and glaring angrily at her brother; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why? That doesn't make any sense, why would he want Malfoy?" she asked, pacing a little, before glaring at Ron again as though the whole thing was his fault.

"Hell if I know," Ron said with a shrug of his shoulders; he didn't get what Harry saw in Draco, but he knew that his best friend was irrevocably in love with the Slytherin, and he had already decided that he was going to be supportive of Harry's relationship. "Look, Ginny, you can either get over yourself and be supportive of Harry, or you stay the hell away from both him and Draco," he said with finality.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Fine," she said bitterly, though she still wasn't at all convinced that Harry actually wanted Malfoy. "It's not like it makes any difference either way," she pointed out.

Ron sighed with exasperation. "Please, just find a way to accept this, Ginny. Harry and Draco are bound together, that is never going to change. Believe what you need to, but just leave them be," he requested, picking up Ginny's book from his bedside table and holding it out to her.

Ginny snatched the book back and opened it to the picture of the two Erotes. She ran a finger over the large green wings of the dominant in the picture, remembering the similar ones that she had seen on Harry; she couldn't stop looking at the picture, and slowly her eyes drifted to the obvious pregnancy bump of the submissive, more details of the story coming back to her.

She looked back up at Ron. "Is Draco pregnant?" she asked, already fairly sure of the answer. Ron gave a small nod. Ginny turned and sat next to Ron on the bed, looking stunned. "Harry's really going to be with him forever, isn't he?" she asked rhetorically, as the truth started to sink in, that her fantasy of being Mrs Potter, the mother of his children, was never going to happen.

"Probably," Ron agreed; he was pretty sure that they would spend the rest of their lives together. "Harry sees you more like a sister, Ginny," he said, sure that his friend had never had any romantic inclinations towards her, or at least hoping that was the case; Harry had never said otherwise. "He could do with you behaving like it."

"I'll try," Ginny promised, still feeling fairly bitter at having Malfoy steal Harry from her, but knowing there was nothing to be done now. "That's the best I can manage at the moment," she added when Ron continued to look unimpressed.

Ron nodded his head; he supposed that he could kind of understand that. He smiled, as he used his shoulder to nudge Ginny. "That's a good start," he told her with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

-#-

"Who's the letter from?" Draco asked dozily from where he was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. He was half asleep, his eyes shut and his head resting on his folding arms, his wings spread out over the top of him like a strange purple feathered blanket. He had heard Hedwig arrive and leave again, and was simply curious.

"Ron," Harry said a little dismissively. He glanced over towards his mate and smiled at the sight of Draco dozing before returning his attention back to the letter as he settled down onto the sofa.

He had easily recognised the handwriting on the envelope and was a little surprised that his friend was writing to him. He slid his finger under the seal and flipped it open, lounging back as he started to read.

**_'Harry,_ **

**_Hope you had a good Christmas. Was the usual mad house here. Everyone sends their Christmas greetings (stupidly thought writing this while in the kitchen would be a good idea and now everyone is asking who I'm writing to)._ **

**_Hermione asks if you have done all your homework and says to remind you that 'you don't want to be having to rush it the day before the start of term'. I told her that it was Draco's job to nag you now but she made me promise to write this anyway._ **

**_The real reason I am writing though is to warn you that Ginny worked out what you are....'_ **

"Shit," Harry exclaimed suddenly, sitting bolt upright, and hurriedly reading that last bit through again to make sure he hadn't misread it and panicked over nothing.

"What?" Draco asked worriedly, when Harry didn't elaborate. He had turned to face his mate, leaning up on his arms enough to fix Harry with a concerned look.

"Ginny knows about us," Harry told him bluntly, knowing that Draco needed to know this.

"HOW?!" the submissive demanded to know, already getting to his feet.

"Give me a minute to finish reading," Harry said, as Draco came to sit next to him on the sofa, the blond not even bothering to wait for Harry to finish before starting to read over his shoulder.

**_'...Ginny worked out what you are. I didn't tell her, I swear. No one's fault really, she just happened to read a book which had a story about 'you-know-what's. I was caught off guard when she confronted me about it, so couldn't really lie to her. Sorry, mate. She was actually surprisingly understanding though, and has promised not to say anything. She seems to have accepted how things are, at least._ **

**_I just thought you should know. I'll explain better when we get back. Think you might even get an apology from her._ **

**_See you in the new year._ **

**_Ron.'_ **

"Well, shit indeed," Draco agreed once they had both finished reading. "Do you really think she is... how did Weasley put it?" Draco leaned over and re-read the last bit of the letter. "...understanding and accepting?"

"I honestly don't know, Draco," Harry sighed, leaning back against the sofa and letting his submissive cuddle into his side. He could hear the scepticism in Draco's voice, and even understood it; he didn't quite believe that everything was just going to be fine with Ginny now that she knew the truth, but it was  a start. "She is practically family to me though, I want to give her a chance," he requested, hoping that Draco would at least try to play nice with Ginny when the other returned to Hogwarts.

Draco shook his head, not in disagreement, but rather as an indication of how he felt about Harry's need to give people a chance. To him it seemed like something of a hopeless trait that left his dominant mate beyond help, but Harry was watching him carefully with a hopeful expression, waiting patiently for him to reply.

The blond sighed with fond exasperation. "I will be nice if she is," Draco promised after a few minutes.

"And that is all I ask," Harry told him with a huge grin. Draco opened his mouth to say something to that, but Harry promptly silenced him with a grateful kiss. "Thank you," he said earnestly as they pulled apart, his fingers threaded in Draco's hair and a smile on his lips.

"Besides," Draco said, unable to help but smile in return, his wings flexing out behind him, "this might help with our plans to set her up with Blaise."

Harry laughed. "I had actually forgotten about that," he told him.

Draco chuckled. "Me too," he confessed with a wink, loving that it made Harry laugh again; it really was a sound he was never going to grow tired of hearing.


	14. Exultations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Christmas day at Hogwarts had been long but wonderful for Harry and Draco. The day had dawned cold and crisp, so they had been very happy to stay under their nice warm covers. Dobby had been ecstatic to bring them breakfast in bed, and after a further hour or so of cuddling, they had forced themselves to get up and go open the small stack of presents they each had. They had opened them together, sitting on the floor of their living room, close to the warmth of the fire.

Draco's gifts had even included a letter from his mother; it had made him grin like a mad man, but he didn’t seem inclined to discuss its contents, and Harry decided not to push him for the details. He was just glad to see his beautiful mate so obviously happy, knowing as he did how much Draco worried about his mother.

They had eventually left their rooms late in the day, when they had gone down to the Great Hall to have Christmas Dinner with the staff and the other students who had remained. Harry had done a double-take as they entered the Hall; he had seen it decorated before, of course, but it seemed that the elves had outdone themselves this year and it took his breath away.

“Something wrong, love?” Draco had asked, turning to look at his dominant mate when Harry paused just inside the door.

“No!” Harry had declared emphatically,  as he drew his gaze from the room to grin at his mate. “It’s just… so amazing!”

“It’s probably just the company,” Draco had teased, wrapping his arm around Harry's waist and grinning up at him. The dominant had laughed happily at that, letting his mate lead him further into the room.

It had been a good day, full of memories that Harry knew he would cherish but it was now the evening of Boxing Day, which the two of them had decided to spend alone in their rooms.

"I am glad we stayed here," Harry whispered to Draco; the two of them were sat on their bed together, innocently cuddling.

Draco was sat between Harry's legs, leaning sideways against his dominant mate's chest; it had become a normal way for them to be close, despite the hindrance of Draco's wings. The blond was currently reading a book of stories about potions that went wrong.

Harry was more or less content to just sit and watch Draco read, holding his submissive close, as he gently ran his fingers over the purple wings that twitched under his touch and through Draco's long blond hair that was perfectly smooth to the touch.

"Me too." Draco agreed absent-mindedly; his eyes were still fixed on the book even as he leaned his head unconsciously into Harry's hand, enjoying, without really noticing the gentle massage Harry was giving him as the dominant was playing gently with his hair.

Harry smiled fondly at his mate, not surprised that Draco hadn't even pulled his nose out of the book to reply. Wanting a little bit of attention from his submissive, Harry lightly gripped Draco's hair, gently turning his mate's head so that he could press their lips together.

Draco hadn't expected the possessive and demanding action, but moaned his appreciation none the less;wanting to have his hands free to touch Harry, the blond snapped his book closed and tossed it over the side of their bed without breaking the kiss, his hands scrunching in the front of Harry's t-shirt the second they were empty, pulling their bodies closer to one another.

"Harry..." Draco whispered, slightly breathlessly as they broke the kiss, turning and throwing his legs over Harry's, so that he was straddling his boyfriend's lap. Harry’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close and Draco found himself wanting more. "Can we...?” he asked, hesitating for a moment, not quite how to word it. “I think we should... I would like... erm... I want to... you know...?"

Draco signed, resting his forehead against Harry’s chest, cursing himself for struggling to find the words and making himself sound like an idiot at the same time. He knew he was going to have to explain himself a lot more clearly than that to get passed Harry's obliviousness.

And sure enough, when Draco looked up, the dominant was wearing a ridiculously cute but rather confused expression. "Come again?" Harry asked.

"That’s exactly what I was trying to say," Draco said, chuckling at the accidental innuendo, meeting Harry’s eye and willing him to understand.

It took Harry a few seconds, staring at his submissive in confusion, before he finally caught on to what Draco had been implying. The blond could tell the moment it clicked in Harry’s mind, as an expression of dawning understanding crossed his face, his lips twitching into a lustful smile a moment later.

Draco chuckled again, before pressing himself closer to Harry’s body, a teasing smirk on his face. "But I mean properly,” he clarified, “I want to have sex, Harry. Think of it as our Christmas present to ourselves," he suggested.

Harry’s expression became suddenly serious, as he narrowed his eyes at Draco; the submissive went to pull away, feeling foolish for having even suggested it, but Harry’s arms kept him from being able to go anywhere. "You're sure?" the dominant asked seriously.

"I'm sure." Draco promised with a soft smile on his face now that he understood that Harry wasn’t rejecting him. “I am really sure,” he added, as he leaned forward, the words brushing against Harry’s lips, before the stole a desperate kiss, grinding his hips against Harry.

The two of them moaned happily into their kiss at the friction the movement gave them; Harry could feel Draco’s erection pressing against his belly, his own rapidly growing beneath his submissive’s arse. This they were both familiar with, this mutual pleasure, and the dominant held Draco close, tongues teasing each other, Harry’s fingers brushing over Draco’s wings.

As they broke apart in a desperate need for air, Harry managed to pick Draco up enough to be able to lie him down on their bed, the submissive’s wings spread beneath him on the covers as Harry moved to lean over him.

“You need to lose these,” the blond said insistently, reaching down to push at the waistband of the only item of clothing Harry was wearing, his pyjama trousers. Harry was only happy to oblige, quickly ridding himself of them before rather forcefully pressing their lips back together again as he leaned over his mate once more.

Harry’s hands moved to Draco’s waistband before pausing and pushing himself up enough to look down at the blond beneath him. “Are you...?” Harry started to ask again, his voice a little gruff with arousal and desire.

“I’m sure,” Draco insisted breathlessly, cutting Harry off before he could even ask fully. “I’m really damned sure,” he added with a hint of fond exasperation, when Harry continued to look concerned.

Apparently that was enough for him, because Harry chuckled at that, leaning down to press another firm kiss to Draco’s lips for a few seconds; and when he pulled back, he tugged on the waistband of Draco’s pyjama trousers and, with a little help from his submissive, managed to remove them, leaving the two of them both completely naked.

Draco parted his legs and let Harry settle between them, their erections brushing together and the friction making them both shudder and gasp happily with the sensation. Harry leaned forward and joined their lips again, hoping to express just how much he enjoyed having his boyfriend lying beneath him like this. Harry used his knee to spread his mate’s legs a little more and took Draco’s length in his hand, stroking him a couple of times with a firm grip as his submissive’s hands threaded into his hair, deepening their kiss.

He only teased Draco for a few moments longer before trailing his fingers down over his mate’s balls and between the cheeks of Draco’s arse. The blond was moaning into Harry’s mouth as the soft touches were already driving him wild; and Draco had no idea how Harry was managing to focus on the wonderful things his tongue was doing whilst his fingers explored much further south.

Draco gasped in shock, breaking their kiss and looking up at Harry with wide grey eyes, as a single finger pressed against his entrance before gently pressing inside him, its path slick with the natural lubricant the submissive Erote body produced.

Harry stared into his mate’s eyes, watching his reactions closely, as he saw as Draco began to relax once more; he shifted his weight to his knees and found himself mesmerised by the sight before him. Draco’s wings were spread wide beneath him, the rich purple in startling contrast to the long blond hair that haloed the submissive’s head.

“Harry,” Draco whimpered, his hand tightly gripping onto Harry’s arms, the dominant’s finger still buried inside him. He had known he wanted this, but he was still a little relieved to find it didn’t hurt; he supposed he had his submissive nature to thank for that, but right now all he could think was that he needed more.

His mate’s uttered gasp of his name seemed to pull Harry from his daze, and he quickly moved his free hand to Draco’s cock, stroking it again and using the drops of pre-cum leaking from the tip to ease the movement. Draco was once again letting out moans of approval when Harry pushed a second finger inside him, the pleasure helping to distract the blond from the additional digit his body was taking.

“Merlin; more, Harry,” Draco demanded, his fingers digging into Harry’s arms so tightly he was sure there would be bruises tomorrow. It was clear though that Harry cared about that no more than he did, as the dominant’s green eyes were watching him intently, as he carefully thrust his fingers in and out of Draco’s body, Harry’s own erection obviously hard and leaking.

“Harry, please….” Draco continued to beg, and Harry moaned at the wanton sound, his own wings all but bursting from his back, and towering over them both, before he suddenly added a third digit, stretching the submissive open to take him.

“So beautiful,” Harry muttered, as he continued to push his fingers into Draco’s body whilst simultaneously stroking at his cock. He spread the digits wide, causing his mate’s back to arch up, those thin lips curving in surprise, as the action pressed against the bundle of nerves inside him.

Draco tried to speak, tried to demand that Harry quit teasing, but his brain was hazy with lust and desire; thankfully Harry got the message and promptly withdrew his fingers, using his hand that was slick with Draco’s natural lubricant to coat own hardness. He used one hand to affectionately brush the blond hair from Draco’s damp forehead, the submissive’s hands moving to grip at the covers beneath them as they met each other’s eyes and as Harry leaned forward, lining the head of his erection up against the submissive’s arse.

“I need you,” Draco pleaded, feeling as though his sanity had long since slipped through his fingers, but Harry was as desperate as he was, his barely touched cock aching with the need to be inside his submissive mate. And so Harry pushed forwards, one hand holding his erection as the tip pressed inside.

Draco gasped and reached out, one hand grabbing the arm Harry was using to support himself, the other hand pressed against the dominant’s chest. Harry forced himself to stop moving, leaving just the head of his cock inside his mate; the panic that he might have hurt Draco helped him to resist the urge to push balls-deep into that warm, slick hole.

“Draco?” Harry asked; his voice was rough, deep, and heavy with lust, and he could feel his body trembling. The blond, however, said nothing, just taking a few deep breaths before nodding in encouragement. Harry opened his mouth, but he was not even given a chance to speak before Draco was pleading with him once again.

“More! Merlin, Harry,” Draco was begging, his lips parted little gasps brushing over them as he, wriggled, clearly trying to impale himself further. “More! Please more!” Draco added earnestly and Harry complied, pushing in steadily till he was fully sheathed inside his boyfriend.

They were both gasping for air as they revelled in the moment of connection. Draco didn’t even remember moving his hand to place it against Harry’s cheek; grinning with happiness, Harry mirrored the action and they both opened their minds, sharing the moment with each other as intimately as they could. It was glorious and they could feel how that was something they both agreed on completely.

There was a part of Harry that didn’t want to move, that didn’t want to break the intensity of the moment, but the heaviness in his balls and the throbbing on length, surrounded by Draco’s body, was too much. Pulling his cock half out of his submissive, Harry thrust back into Draco; their mutual lust, pleasure and love flared inside them and over the bond. It was slightly awkward as Draco shifted against him, seeking more as they tried to find a rhythm, and yet it was perfect in its imperfections.

Harry thrust hard and Draco moaned as his dominant’s hard length filled him up, his prostate stroked repeatedly, as Harry continued to move, the large green wings flexing above them; Draco wanted to speak, but there were no words, his body trembling from the tingles and sparks that being claimed so completely gave him.

Harry leaned down and stole a kiss as his wings curled around them protectively for a moment, as he held himself inside Draco, before breaking away with a sound that was half groan, half growl as his wings spread to their full span, towering over the both of them as Harry picked up the pace, repeatedly thrusting into his mate.

Draco was sure his hips would have bruises from where Harry’s fingers were holding him, helping him to meet every movement. The submissive’s hand moved almost without thought to grip his own aching cock, which was rock hard between them. Harry, however, had other ideas and tutted teasingly as he pulled Draco’s hand away.

The dominant was looking smug as he gripped both of Draco’s wrists and pinned them either side of his submissive’s body, using his own hips to pin Draco to the bed. Draco growled his frustration, making Harry chuckle deeply, the sound causing Draco’s cock to twitch with arousal and desire.

“You’re going to come from just me being inside you,” Harry told him, and Draco tipped his head back and moaned wantonly as his dominant mate continued to thrust, his erection brushing over the sensitive bundle of nerves inside the blond’s body.

Draco had never believed that he would want to submit, let alone find it attractive but, as Harry took control, with an unrelenting grip on his wrists and the weight of the dominant’s body on top of him, Draco was more turned on that he had even been before in his life. Harry’s use of such a commanding tone only added to the intensity of it all.

The submissive’s mind was foggy with lust and pleasure, and the sight and sensation of Harry all around him was driving him crazy; he was almost painfully close, his whole body felt tightly wound and on the verge of exploding as his mate thrust into him, claiming him. Draco was sure, from rhythm of Harry’s breathing, that his boyfriend wasn’t far behind him.

“Come for me, Draco,” Harry ordered suddenly in a husky voice, and it didn’t even occur to the submissive not to comply.

Draco’s body spasmed as his climax washed over him; he tried to call Harry’s name but thought it was more just a sound than a real word. His seed spilled onto his belly, as the muscles in his arse clenched tightly around Harry’s cock and he felt the dominant empty himself into his body with an exclamation of pure bliss.

Harry held himself over Draco for a moment, trying to catch his breath and taking care to pull his wings in, folding them behind himself and willing them away as he pulled Draco up into his arms. He felt so overwhelmed by the love he felt for his mate as he eased himself from his submissive’s body and Draco didn’t even think to resist when Harry wrapped him up in his arms and rolled them both over.

Harry stared up at the ceiling above them and held Draco close as they both tried to recover. The dominant’s fingers trailed over his mate’s hair, and the feathers of his now folded wings.

It was Draco, however, who seemed to come back to himself first, the blond smiling as he enjoyed the moments of post-orgasm bliss, safe in the arms of his mate. “Merry Christmas, Harry,” he said quietly, tucking his head in against his mate’s neck, letting drowsiness wash over him.

Draco felt more than heard Harry’s soft chuckle. “Merry Christmas, Draco,” Harry replied, pressing a kiss to the top of his blond hair. ‘A very merry Christmas, indeed,’ he thought to himself with a dopey grin on his face as he held his mate in his arms.

-#-

The awkwardness that both Draco and Harry had been concerned would be between them after taking their relationship to the next level never happened; they had spent most of the few days since holed up in their rooms cuddled close together.

Draco had done a lot of reading; even Harry had managed to work his way through some of the books that Hermione had liberated from the library, though often he preferred to just watch his mate and that was what he was doing at the moment from his seat on their sofa.

It was the day before New Year’s Eve and the two of them were once again enjoying the peace and quiet of their rooms as they had done for most of the holidays. Draco was curled up in one of the chairs, lost in his thoughts and trying to work out if and how he should talk to Harry about the invitation the Christmas letter from his mother had contained.

"... decide?"

Draco looked up in surprise and over to where Harry was sat; he had to blink a few times to clear his head. His brain was managing to register that Harry had said something but he honestly had no idea what it has been. "Sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

Harry chuckled fondly. "I asked what you were trying to decide," he told his mate with an understanding and affectionate smile.

Draco frowned a little in confusion, not sure how it was that Harry could have known he was trying to decide anything. "How did you...?" he asked, turning in his seat to face his mate properly.

"I recognised your pensive expression," Harry explained; he found that he was getting fairly good at reading Draco now, particularly the two of them having had the last week mostly to themselves. "I might be able to help," he offered, holding out his hand towards the blond.

Draco only hesitated for a moment before he pushed himself out of the chair and pressed his slender fingers into the offered hand, let Harry gently tug him down onto the sofa and against his side. He took a deep breath to find his courage and, making a decision, pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"This is the letter my mother sent me," Draco told his mate, unfolding it carefully and holding it out for Harry to take; he had read it enough times to know it all by heart, and had been putting off telling Harry about the offer it contained.

"The one that was with your Christmas present?" Harry asked with a thoughtful expression as he accepted the parchment from his boyfriend, remembering back to the letter that had been enclosed with Draco’s present from his mother.

Draco nodded in confirmation. "She has asked us to Paris, to see in the New Year with her and Adrien," the submissive explained, pointing out a paragraph about half way down the page, so that Harry could read the invitation for himself.

Harry, however, was not paying much attention to the letter at all, and was staring at the blond in surprise. "That's tomorrow, Draco.”

"I know,” Draco said, feeling a little bad for having sprung this on Harry like he had. “I just..." he started but promptly cut himself off with a sigh, not really sure how to explain why he hadn’t said anything before.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Harry asked kindly, looking worried. He had thought that things were going well between them and he didn’t understand what would have made his mate keep such a secret for almost a week.

"I didn't want you to feel we have to go,” Draco said a little defensively, sitting up so that he was no longer leaning against Harry’s side. “You gave up your Christmas with the Weasleys and..." Draco tried to explain, but Harry just sighed with frustration.

"I CHOSE to spend my Christmas with YOU," Harry insisted, placing his hands on either side of Draco’s face to ensure the submissive could see the sincerity on his face. "Besides,” he added with a soft, fond smile, releasing his hold on Draco, and taking his mate’s hand instead, “I have had you all to myself for over a week, I can agree to share you with your mother for one evening."

Draco chuckled, at little at that, looking down at their joined hand for a moment before looking back up at Harry. "You really want to go?" he asked sceptically; he liked the idea of seeing his mother but he mean what he had said, he didn’t want to push Harry into it.

"Sure, why not?" Harry asked with a grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "It would be good for me to get to know your mother better and it would be great for you to get some time with her,” he insisted; he still worried about Draco being separated from his parents, and he certainly didn’t want to be the reason for it. “And we would both be able to get to meet this Adrien fellow your mother is so apparently taken with. Besides, I have never been out of Britain before," he added with enthusiasm.

"Yes, it would be good to meet him,” Draco agreed, before his brain processed the rest of what Harry had said. “Wait, never? What, really?!" he exclaimed in shock, staring at Harry with obvious disbelief. "You can't be serious," he said a little more calmly a second later, when Harry nodded.

Harry gave his mate a wry smile, not quite sure how he felt about Draco’s genuine surprise at that revelation. "I'm serious, Draco,” he told him. ”And yes, really,” he went on, answering his boyfriend’s previous question, and not wanting to dwell on his own upbringing. “Let's send a letter to your mother quickly and tell her we’ll go."

"Yes, I’ll write to her now,” Draco said enthusiastically. “Will you write to Dumbledore asking if we can either use the floo in his office or get a portkey?" the blond requested as he jumped up to go start writing a reply to Narcissa.

"Sure thing, Love," Harry agreed, unable to keep from grinning at how happy this had made his mate, watching as Draco headed across the room; but the blond stopped, only about half way to the desk, turning around and quickly rushing back over to Harry to give him a chaste kiss.

"Thank you,” Draco told him earnestly, “I really do appreciate this."

Harry pulled him down for another kiss. "You're welcome," he responded as they broke apart.

-#-

For the third time in about a week Severus awoke to find himself wrapped up in Lucius’ strong, warm arms, his own back pressed against the taller man’s chest; it was a feeling that he was quickly growing addicted to.

He had freaked out the first morning it had happened, far more panicked than he would ever like to admit. He had quickly tried to get out of the bed, to escape, but Lucius’ arms had remained securely around him, holding onto him stubbornly, and Severus had promptly ceased his struggles lest he end up making himself look like a weak fool.

"I am not going to let you run away from me, Severus," the blond man had warned in a voice that had been stern, despite Lucius’ obvious sleepiness.

The memory made Severus smile now, as he laid perfectly still in Lucius’ arms, not wanting to wake the man behind him for the moment. It felt as though that first night they had spent together was much longer than a week ago, which he supposed was due to how close the two of them had become; if he hadn't already been head over heels in love with Lucius before, he was sure that he would have been by now anyway.

He was endlessly thankfully for the Christmas holidays, and that his time was entirely his own, whilst the school was relatively free from students. They had certainly endeavoured to make the most of it, and Severus might have felt embarrassed about how much like a pair of horny teenagers they had been behaving, if he hadn’t been enjoying it so much; he was quite certain he had been kissed, groped, teased and fucked more in the last week than he had in the rest of his life.

Not that he was complaining, of course, he loved every moment of it; but he couldn't help but worry. Was Lucius truly as much in his right mind as he was insisting? The blond seemed so much more like his normal self but Severus couldn't be sure.  And even if he was completely himself, what was to stop Lucius from running right back to the Dark Lord the second they let him out of his caged room?

No, Severus knew that he couldn’t allow that to happen; they would have to take measures to keep him in check until the war was completely over. ‘Great start to a loving relationship that is,’ Severus thought derisively. 'I love you but you have to stay locked up because I don't trust you not to betray us all.'

Severus mentally cursed and once again found his mind conflicted between his love for the man holding him and his wishes that he might have found the strength to be able to stay away from Lucius; but he knew that he would never have been able to resist what the man was offering.

"I can practically hear you thinking," Lucius told him, his voice gruff from sleep.

Severus stiffened in his arms as Lucius’ words pulled him suddenly from his thoughts; he almost felt guilty for his own thoughts, awkward in having been caught thinking so deeply, even though he knew Lucius could not possibly have known what thoughts were swirling around in his mind. "I should go," Severus told him, not sounding particularly enthused by his own suggestion, and making a rather feeble attempt to get out of the bed.

Lucius, however, didn't loosen his grip, if anything, just pulling Severus closer to his own body. "No, you should stay right here," the blond insisted, and it was only a few moments before he felt Severus give up and relaxed in his arms.

"How is this ever going to work, Lucius?” Severus asked, knowing he had failed to keep the bitterness from his tone. “We both know that I can't risk trusting you, even if you do promise Draco and me that you will choose our side," he pointed out quietly. He wished that there was something Lucius could do to prove his loyalty, but there was nothing he could think of that would be enough.

"It will work because I know that you not trusting me is about the war, not about us," Lucius told him with a kiss to the back of his head. Severus hummed sceptically. "I will talk to Draco in the new year,” the blond went on, before the potion master could say anything more. “I might believe in the Dark Lord's cause, but even that is not worth the loss of my son and heir," he admitted with a sigh.

Severus felt his mind relax a little at those words, glad that Lucius had reached such a conclusion, it would certainly make it easier to keep Lucius there if he was going to choose Draco over the Dark Lord. "Nor the loss of your grandchild?" Severus asked, needing to know where the man stood in regards to that situation.

“That too,” Lucius snarled out through gritted teeth, “even if it will be a Potter.” The last word was all but spat from his lips in disgust.

Severus sighed, not really surprised at the blond’s reaction but hoping that Lucius would at least try to pretend to be okay with the parentage of Draco’s child; it would be essential if Draco was even going to hear Lucius out in the New Year. "It is still Draco's child, Lucius," Severus reminded him, as he turned around in the taller man’s hold and looked up at him.

"I know," Lucius agreed through gritted teeth. "That knowledge does nothing to ease my concern that the Malfoy name will not survive this generation." He wasn’t going to let that happen of course, but he needed to speak with Draco before he could form a plan.

"Lucius, your best hope, on that count, is to keep Draco on side,” Severus told him firmly. “Or rather get him back on side, given you are not exactly in his favour at the moment," the potions master corrected. "You might want to try treating Potter and the baby like the family they are."

“I don’t know how you can suggest I let that half-blood be family,” Lucius sneered, with a look of revulsion on his face. “He has defiled my son, and family name, and polluted our blood.”

“I might remind you that I am a half-blood too,” Severus said sharply, before ploughing on with determination. “But that child is happening whether you like it or not, and the way to win Draco’s favour is through accepting Potter and the child,” he told him sternly, hoping that Lucius would listen. “Draco knows what the Malfoy family name means to you and at least this way, when they have a second son you may still get your Malfoy heir."

"How many children are you expecting my son to bear him?" Lucius asked incredulously, looking at Severus with wide eyes.

The potions master couldn’t help but be a little amused by this reaction. "Let's just say that a second son is likely a ‘when’, not an ‘if’," he told him with a wry smile. While he had no issue with Draco having multiple children, that would also mean multiple Potter children.

Lucius gave a haughty scoff of disbelief. "You honestly believe that Potter would ever allow one of his precious children to be named Malfoy?” the blond asked sceptically. “That boy hates my family."

Severus sighed and shook his head slightly. "Hates your family, Lucius?” he asked, wondering if the man had been paying any attention to how Harry and Draco had been with each other that day in the Entrance Hall. “Potter loves Draco, far more than I think you believe,” Severus insisted; he didn’t like that the two boys were together, but he couldn’t deny the way that Harry was with the young blond. “If Draco asked such a request of him, Potter would grant it; I am all but certain of that."

"Hmm," Lucius hummed, looked thoughtful and pondering Severus’ advice. It was not without merit. "You may have a point," he conceded, though he still felt determined to speak with Draco himself before settling on a course of action.

"I was a Slytherin too, you know,” Severus reminded him smugly, pressing himself firmly against Lucius’ body, and leaning up enough that his lips were barely brushing over the other man’s. “You might want to actually try listening to me occasionally,” he scolded teasingly.

 Lucius, however, was in no mood to be teased, and so leaned in and kissed the dark haired man in his arms, pulling them close against each other.

"I will try to do that in future." Lucius promised, as they broke apart for air.

-#-

Narcissa was grinning happily as Draco and Harry stepped out of the floo, into the large, grand drawing room of Adrien's house in Paris. Harry thought she looked a little bit mad with such an expression on her face, though it was certainly the happiest Harry had ever seen her; not that he had had a great deal of contact with her over the years, he supposed.

Draco was rather startled to realise that it was the happiest he had seen his mother since he was a very young boy, and it made him even more certain that the separation of his parents had been best for everyone.

"I am so glad you boys decided to join us," Narcissa told them merrily, as he hurried forward and pulled Draco into a warm embrace that startled him slightly for a moment, before he quickly wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I am glad too, Mother," Draco told her earnestly and Harry could hear his boyfriend’s smile even though it was buried in his mother's shoulder.

Harry stayed a few steps back from his mate, allowing the two of them a moment, and smiling fondly as he watched the Narcissa hold her son close, in a show of more honest parental affection he had actually believed possible from the woman. However, he was vaguely aware of feeling on edge, a tension in his back and a niggling instinct that was telling him not to let Draco out of his sight.

"Ah, you are ‘ere," a man pronounced happily in a soft French accent, breaking through the moment.

Harry cried out slightly in shock as his wings pushed forcefully out of his back and unfurled so quickly that they collided with the ceiling. He was still feeling stunned as he followed his instincts and quickly pulled them under control, wrapping the large mass of dark green feathers around Draco and Narcissa, the latter simply due to her proximity to her son, in order to shield them from the tall, slender, brunet man who stood in the doorway, looking stunned.

"Oh, Merlin," Adrien gasped out faintly, his French accent thickening with his surprise and anxiety at the nearly fourteen feet of feathered wings that had unexpectedly appeared in his home.

"Harry, what are you doing?” Draco demanded to know, as he took in the sight of the familiar feathers wrapped around him, Harry’s arms now curled tightly around his waist; though he was rather confused about why Harry would have brought out his wings right then.

“Harry, that is Adrien,” Narcissa said softly, having relinquished her own hold on her son. “He is no threat to Draco or the baby." She was honestly rather impressed with the huge wings around them, and the speed with which Harry had reacted to the perceived threat, but kept her attention fixed on the boy himself, wanting to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"Harry," Draco said, far more firmly than his mother had spoken; her words had helped him understand what was going on. He was realising, retrospectively, that this was truly the first time, since Harry had come into his inheritance, since they had become mated, that they had been somewhere other than the castle.

Hogwarts was a safe and familiar place to both of them, somewhere that they both know more or less everyone around them to some extent already. It hadn't even occurred to either of them that Harry's protective instincts were bound to go haywire, but Draco felt that was a rather foolish oversight now.

With some difficultly given the wings around them and his own wings folded on his back, Draco turned to face his mate. "You need to calm down, Harry," Draco told him sternly.

Harry, however, was not really listening, his fiery green eyes fixed intently on Adrien through a gap between his wings, keeping Draco and their child safely wrapped up in his arms.

"I mean you no ‘arm," Adrien said softly, tried to calm him. However, this only succeeded in drawing a warning growl from Harry. “Okay, I will leave, and be in the kitchen,” the Frenchman said, and Draco was glad when the man backed away to give them a moment to work things out.

"Harry..." Narcissa tried again, but that just caused the dominant to growl softly at her instead.

"Mother, just stop, please," Draco requested tersely before turning all his attention to his mate. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" he practically yelled, stamping his foot. "You need to stop this RIGHT NOW!"

Harry froze and looked down at his clearly pissed off submissive; he blinked slowly a couple of times as he started to actively process the situation. 'Oh, that's not good,' he thought to himself as he took in the scowl on Draco's face. He let his eyes drift to the woman who was practically his mother-in-law and then finally his own wings, which the three of them were wrapped in.

“...Erm...sorry...,” Harry said with a nervous chuckle and wearing a crooked half smile in hope that Draco might stop glaring at him and start to see the funny side of the situation.

“Are you going to put your wings away now that we have established that no one is about to attack me?” Draco asked and Harry could hear the amusement creeping into his voice despite his best efforts.

Harry took a calming breath as he shut his eyes and focused, managing to carefully retract his wings in and make them disappear. He winced as he looked around and noticed the marks and dents on the walls and ceiling, from where his wings had hit them; he was mostly just glad that he hadn’t broken anything. “I am really sorry, Narcissa,” he apologised earnestly, feeling quiet embarrassed.

“It’s okay, Harry,” Narcissa told him with an understanding nod of her head, his eyes darting briefly to where the dominant Erote’s arms were still around her son. “I should probably be glad that you’re this protective of my son; though I won’t deny that it was rather alarming.”

“I don’t think it was quite the greeting Harry and I had in mind either,” Draco said with a frown; it was as though they had intended this to happen. “Harry is still pretty new to this Erotes thing too and his protective instincts are in overdrive with me being pregnant," he explained, wanting his mother to understand. "This is the first time we have had to deal with someone we don’t already know and it is the first time we have been out of the castle.”

“I really am sorry,” Harry repeated, his voice pleadingly apologetic; he didn't want to be the cause of any tension between Draco and his mother, this trip was supposed to help things between them not cause problems.

Narcissa sighed. “I know," she said firmly, her voice calm; she really did understand, but was still feeling a little shaken. "I am just going to go check on Adrien and bring him back in here,” she said, stepping away from the two boys and heading for the door.

“I am so sorry, Draco.” Harry told his boyfriend in a hushed tone once Narcissa had left them alone in the room. Harry was so ashamed of having lost control, and was sure that he had embarrassed his mate, but Draco simply took his hand and led him over to the sofa, and Harry rested his head in his hands.

“Harry, you didn’t hurt anyone and you were just acting on instinct," Draco pointed out. He knew better than most how easy it was to let instincts take over, and at least neither his mother nor Adrien would get any silly ideas about trying to separate him and Harry; not that he had thought they would anyway. "I think you surprised them more than anything,” the blond tried to reassure him.

“I’m so embarrassed,” Harry confessed, his words muffled by his hands.

Draco chuckled. “It isn’t like I will be reminding you of this for the rest of our lives,” he said with amusement.

Harry looked up and frowned at the cheeky grin that was plastered on his mate's face. “You’re going to, aren’t you?” he asked, already knowing the answer; he and Draco might have come to understand each other, but that didn't change that the submissive was a devious Slytherin at his core.

“Of course I am,” Draco said with an unrepentant smirk. “First time we visit my mother and you go all over-protective dominant? That is too good to forget,” he told his mate, patting a hand on Harry’s knee in mock sympathy.

Harry groaned and put his head back in his hands. He was embarrassed, but he also found Draco's teasing endearing; though he was sure that it was entirely down to his Erote instincts regarding his mate.

“Is it safe?” Adrien asked, and Harry and Draco both looked up to see the Frenchman' head peer around the doorframe; thankfully the man did seem to be, at least partly, joking.

“Let me make proper introductions.” Narcissa insisted, as she stepped past Adrien and into the room, the man following her into the living room and towards the boys. “Adrien, this is my son, Draco, and his bonded, Harry. Harry, Draco, this is Adrien.”

The two students got to their feet as they were approached. “It’s nice to meet you, Adrien,” Draco greeted, shaking the Frenchman's hand.

“You as well, Draco. I ‘ave heard much about you,” Adrien told him with a smile in Narcissa's direction.

“Sorry about before. I really appreciate you inviting us here,” Harry said to Adrien, wrapping one arm around Draco’s waist and offering his free hand for Adrien to shake.

Adrien took it and gave him a kind smile. “It is forgiven, I understand. As it happens my little sister ‘ad quite an obsession with magical inheritances when we were growing up, so I know a little about Erotes; I believe it was not personal.”

-#-

Following the apologies, and the more successful introductions, both Draco and Harry found that they actually rather liked Adrien; he was surprisingly funny. They had taken seats on two sofas, the two Erotes next to each other, and Narcissa sat next to Adrien; it was wonderful to watch her smile and laugh.

Harry still couldn’t help his protective instincts, which were making him feel obsessively protective over Draco, and thus was barely letting his mate out of arms reach, let alone out of sight. However, Harry he had not lost control again, and so they were counting that as a win.

“We need something else to drink,” Adrien told them all with an enthusiastic clap of his hands, clearing away the tray of tea with a simple swish of his wand before getting to his feet.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Harry offered, getting to his feet, wanting to give Draco a few minutes with his mother. Plus it seemed like a good opportunity to get to know Adrien a little better, mostly in the hope that it would put his Erote mind at ease.

The two of them headed into the kitchen and Harry was glad to find that he could still see where Draco was sitting and smiled when he saw Narcissa move to sit next to his mate; she appeared to be fussing over him, if Draco’s small scowl and attempts to push away her hands were any indication.

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing; he knew that while Draco disliked being mollycoddled and showed that clearly on his face, he also loved the motherly affection that Narcissa never felt able to show in public.

“She loves ‘im very much,” Adrien stated when he noticed Harry watching the pair of them

“I am starting to realise that,” Harry admitted with a soft smile. “I always assumed that the Malfoys were a rather cold and unfeeling family from what I had seen before I really got to know Draco.”

Adrien paused with his hand on the handle of the cupboard and looked at Harry curiously for a moment before speaking. “You are not used to family behaving so... formally in public?” the Frenchman asked with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“I guess not," Harry said with a shrug. It wasn't like he had much experience with families at all. "I had never really met his mother until recently; she is far less...” Harry paused and waved his hand a little as he searched for the word, “... harsh than Lucius.”

Adrien hummed at that, as he went back to pulling glasses from the cupboard. “I ‘ave, thankfully never ‘ad to meet ‘im," the Frenchman commented. "Though Narcissa ‘as told me many tales over ze years,” Adrien told him as he started pouring glasses of red wine.

“Draco and I will just have some juice if that's okay,” Harry said quickly, before the man could pour a third or fourth glass.

Adrien looked at him curiously as though it was a strange request. “You are sure?” he asked.

Harry nodded. “Draco is pregnant, and will not be drinking alcohol no matter how much he wants to," the dominant said firmly, "and I have never had wine and don’t particularly want to start now. No offence to what I am sure is a excellent wine.”

“Oh, no offence taken, this just means more for Narcissa and me,” Adrien said with a deep laugh and a wink, as he filled two other large glasses with grape juice.

“You are... different to what I expected,” Harry admitted a little shyly.

Adrien laughed again. “Not quite as much of a pompous arse as Lucius?” he asked, looking amused.

“Not even close,” Harry declared emphatically. "I feel I may have misjudged Narcissa as badly as I did Draco."

“Narcissa is a kind-hearted woman. Though admittedly I may be biased,” Adrien confessed with a chuckle. “She is very good at playing the pureblood game but in private she is...” Adrien waved a hand at where they could see Draco and Narcissa happily talking and laughing, before picking up the two glasses of wine.

Harry nodded, picked up his and Draco’s glasses of juice and followed the Parisian man back into the other room. Draco frowned a little when Harry handed him the glass and Harry didn't miss the look of longing the blond gave the glass of wine Adrien had handed Narcissa.

“Don’t even ask,” Harry whispered into his submissive's ear, before pressing a kiss to Draco’s temple.

Draco turned and glared at him, but said nothing, focusing instead on the conversation Adrien had started with Narcissa regarding some upcoming event which they would now be able to attend together.

Harry was surprised how easily the conversation flowed and even more surprised by how much he enjoyed both Narcissa and Adrien’s company. He sipped at his juice, which was lovely, and delighted in seeing the affection with which Narcissa kept on looking at Draco.

There was a decidedly awkward few moments when they had ended up on the topic of the war. It was clear that Adrien shared the majority of the same pureblood ideals that the Malfoys were known for; however the man was quick to declare himself a pacifist and was apparently keen to make it known to Harry that he was against the war in general.

It was a little surprising to him how quickly the evening passed, and it felt like no time at all before they were listening to the grandfather clock chiming, and toasting in the New Year.

"I love you," Harry whispered as he kissed Draco chastely, pretending not to notice when Adrien kissed Narcissa, making her blush. Draco, however, had no such reservations and delighted in pointing out the flush that was colouring his mother's cheeks.

-#-

The three of them spent the best part of another hour laughing and talking together, Adrien and Narcissa managing not only to finish off the bottle of wine, but make a good start on a second. Narcissa’s cheeks were flushed red, as the wine made her surprisingly giggly, and Adrien was laughing freely and loudly.

Harry was amazed how at ease he felt, and was enjoying himself, however, by around half one in the morning it had all proven too much for Draco, likely because of the drain of his pregnancy, and the blond had fallen asleep with his head resting on Harry’s lap.

“So how is he really coping?” Narcissa asked Harry quietly, as she leaned into Adrien's side. Harry had to resist rolling his eyes; she had been asking Draco how he was all evening until he had eventually snapped and begged her to stop, assuring her he was fine.

“He is stressed," Harry admitted, running his fingers gently through his submissive's hair, "we both are; but our lives have been turned upside down, so that is inevitable really. But, honestly, he really is doing okay, all things considered,” he insisted, in an attempt to reassure her.

She nodded in understanding, and thankfully seemed to actually believe him. “You will...”

“...tell you if there is any way in which you can help?" Harry asked before she could even finish, and Narcissa nodded. "Yes, I promise,” he told her, sharing a look with Adrien who was chuckling quietly. “I should take him to bed,” he suggested, looking down at Draco and running his fingers gently through his mate's long hair as he had come to love doing.

“There is a guest room which is ready for you," Adrien told him. "It is ze second room on ze left at ze top of ze stairs,” the man directed, his French accent now heavy thanks to the wine.

“Thank you,” Harry said softly, as he carefully picked up Draco’s head, cupping it with one hand, not wanting to wake up his mate.

Narcissa quickly moved from Adrien's side, and came to help; between the two of them they managed to very gently manoeuvre Draco into Harry’s arms. Narcissa smiled at the sight of Draco fast asleep in Harry's arms, leaning sideways against the dominant's chest, wings hanging limply behind him and his head lolling against Harry's shoulder.

“He always looks so peaceful and sweet when he is sleeping,” Narcissa said fondly, brushing a hand over Draco's hair gently enough not to wake him.

Harry chuckled at that. “Deceptive isn’t it?” he said affectionately.

Adrien and Narcissa both laughed at that. “Yes, I supposed so,” Narcissa agreed. “But we love him anyway.”

“That we do,” Harry agreed without hesitation, before bidding them both goodnight and heading off up the stairs, being extra careful not to catch Draco’s wings on any doorways.


	15. Earnest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Draco’s eyes slowly flickered open and he became aware he was curled up into Harry's side with his head resting against his mate's hip. Harry was sitting with his back against the headboard  and the blond craned his neck slightly to look up at him; the dominant had a book open on his knees but didn't actually seem to be reading it, his eyes fixed on the view out the window across the room.

“Did you sleep at all?” Draco asked, his voice still somewhat gruff from sleep.

“No, I couldn’t,” Harry admitted, turning slowly to smile down at the blond, who had been sleeping curled up against his hip for the last six or seven hours.

“Couldn’t?” Draco asked, looking confused for a moment before frowning in realisation. “Please tell me you didn’t sit up _guarding_ me all night.”

“I tried to sleep,” Harry insisted, but Draco didn’t look convinced. “I did, honestly,” he protested at Draco’s disbelieving expression, “but I couldn’t." He had felt a little foolish watching over Draco as he slept, but it wasn't something that he had been able to help. "This is still a strange environment, and while I like Adrien and your mother, apparently the Erote part of my brain wasn’t ready to trust them.”

“Harry...” Draco said with a weary sigh, shuffling himself into a sitting position and cuddling into Harry's side, his mate's arm wrapping around him and holding him close, “you should have just woken me and we could have gone back to Hogwarts.”

“No,” Harry said firmly, sounding entirely disapproving of that idea. “You were sleeping peacefully and I wanted you to be able to say goodbye to your mother properly this morning," he insisted. "That said, let’s go see if they are awake so you can do that and I can go home and sleep.”

“Ah...” Draco said slowly, placing his hand on Harry’s thigh and levering himself up kiss him quickly on the lips, “...so you admit you _aren’t_ infallible after all?” he asked teasingly, knowing full well that Harry would never claim to be any such thing.

“Cheeky git,” Harry chastised affectionately, lightly shoving Draco’s shoulder, though he was smiling at the same time. “So are we going to see if there is an offer of breakfast?” he asked hopefully, thinking that he could really do with a cup of tea if nothing else.

Draco, however, had other plans, and took the ignored book from Harry’s lap, placing it on the bedside table behind him.

"Draco?" Harry questioned, but the blond said nothing, instead very slowly clambering over Harry, to get off of the bed; Draco very deliberately made sure to brush the full length of his body against his boyfriend’s and smirked as Harry failed to hold back his moan.

The submissive chuckled, clearly pleased with the reaction he had got from his dominant. He kissed Harry quickly once he was standing next to the bed, wanting to make sure he had his full attention; it would be quite a waste to put on this little show if Harry wasn’t going to watch after all.

He knew full well that Harry was staring at him as he headed towards the attached bathroom at a torturously slow pace, stripping off his night clothes with no thoughts of modesty. He slipped his trousers down his legs, exposing his pert arse just before he disappeared through the doorway, and was sure he had heard his mate moan again.

“Hmm, well will you look here," Draco remarked, with mock casualness, from the bathroom, loud enough for Harry to hear, "seems like this shower is big enough for two.”

Harry groaned at that; Draco really was going to be the death of him, he was sure. He looked down at his lap, where his pyjamas were obviously tented. “Fine, you win,” Harry said to his now hard length. Apparently Draco’s ability to kick his sex drive into action was not dependent on a good night’s sleep.

He slid out of bed, and, ditching his clothes on the way, joined Draco in the shower. This was definitely the way to start the New Year and if the saying ‘start as you mean to go on’ was anything to go by, Harry thought that it was going to be an extremely good year.

-#-

It was about thirty minutes later when Harry followed Draco into the rather lavish dining room. Narcissa looked up and smiled at the pair of them. “Good morning, Draco, Harry,” she greeted warmly.

The woman was perfectly dressed, as always, and Harry was starting to realise where Draco’s perfectionist nature had likely come from. She was sipping tea elegantly, from what looked like a very fine and expensive tea cup; Adrien was in the seat next to her, his face hidden behind a large morning paper, which appeared to be written in French.

“Morning,” Harry tried to say through a yawn, which he hid behind his hand as he dropped into a seat opposite Adrien at the large oak table and scrubbed at his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up a little more.

Draco glared at his boyfriend’s far from perfect greeting, before turning to Narcissa. “Morning, Mother, Adrien,” he said, as he placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek and moved around to take a seat across the table from her, next to Harry.

“Good morning,” Adrien greeted a few seconds later, lowering his paper enough to give them both a warm smile. “My elf will cook or fetch whatever it is you would like for breakfast.”

“Just some tea and toast would be lovely,” Draco said, shuffling his wings a little so that they weren't squashed against the back of the chair. A small elf that had appeared next to his chair gave a deep bow.

“Same for me, please,” Harry requested before another yawn escaped; he rubbed at his eyes wearily again and ran a hand through his already scruffy hair. The elf bowed again, before vanishing with a small pop.

“Did you not sleep well, ‘arry?” Adrien asked with concern, as he folded his paper and placed it on the table next to his plate.

“The prat didn’t sleep at all,” Draco corrected with a tone of exasperation. “His Erote apparently was still being over-protective," he explained when both Narcissa and Adrien looked increasingly worried at that news, "his instincts wouldn’t let him sleep in such an unfamiliar environment.”

“Not exactly my fault,” Harry grumbled under his breath. He knew it wasn't anyone else's fault either, but he was just really tired, and that was making him a little irritable.

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that.” Narcissa told them earnestly. “I take it you will not being staying long today then,” she added, looking rather disappointed at this, not knowing when it was that she was likely to see her son next.

Harry shook his head gently, an apologetic smile on his face. Part of him wanted to say that Draco could stay for a while and come home later, but he knew that they weren't anywhere close to being ready for that kind of separation. “No, sorry," he told her, "I really need to go home and get some sleep... Merlin’s beard,” he complained as he was unable to hold back yet another yawn.

Draco rolled his eyes, reaching over and giving Harry’s hand an affectionate squeeze, as he took a bite of the lightly buttered toast that had just appeared in front of him. Harry turned and smiled at him gratefully.

Breakfast proceeded quietly with Harry eating slowly between his frequent yawns. Adrien had promptly returned his attention to his paper, while Draco, who finished his own toast in short time, and Narcissa both seemed perfectly content to continue to sip at their tea and share soft smiles.

“You really must come back soon.” Narcissa insisted a little while later, as they headed back through into the living room; Adrien nodded his agreement. It had become perfectly clear that Harry was struggling to stay awake, fighting a battle between exhaustion and his Erote instincts, and so they were making their way back to the fireplace so that Harry and Draco could floo back to school.

“We will try to, Mother,” Draco promised. “Maybe we can get permission to leave the school for a weekend," he suggested, though he didn't look particularly hopeful about the likelihood of that. "I am just aware that it is only going to get increasingly difficult with studying and as the pregnancy progresses and then when the baby is born...”

“I know, my dear," Narcissa said sweetly, brushing a hand over Draco's cheek. "Maybe I will try to come to you instead then,” she suggested and she pulled both Harry and Draco into a tight hug suddenly, making them both let out yelps of surprise. “Now, behave," she said firmly as she released her hold on them. "Both of you,” she added with a particularly stern look at Harry, which of course made Draco chuckle.

“I will do my best," Harry assured her, knowing that she was right to worry given how much of a trouble magnet he seemed to be. "And thanks again for having us,” Harry said sincerely as he wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, the two of them stepping into the floo.

“No problem, dear, it was our pleasure.” Narcissa said a soft smile and a flourished wave of her hand. Adrien next to her, gave them a warm smile and bowed his head.

Draco smiled at his mother once more as he took a firm grip on Harry’s arm and throwing the powder into the flames commanded, “Dumbledore’s office, Hogwarts.”

-#-

“Ah, welcome back, boys.” Dumbledore said, looking up from whatever it was he was reading at his desk, as Harry and Draco stumbled slightly on their exit out of the floo. “And a happy New Year," he greeted jovially. "I trust you enjoyed your short trip?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you, Sir,” Harry told him honestly with a polite nod; he had certainly been pleasantly surprised at just how much he had enjoyed spending the time with Narcissa and Adrien. “Happy New Year to you too,” he said with a smile; he really did have high hopes for this year, though the Headmaster's next words brought him back to the reality of his life a little sooner than he would have hoped.

“There were a couple of matters on which I would like to speak with you,” Dumbledore informed him, fixing Harry with a pointed look over the top of his half-moon glasses. “Perhaps you could catch up with Mr Malfoy shortly,” the Headmaster suggested.

Both Harry and Draco frowned at that. “Sorry, sir, I really am very tired," Harry told him truthfully, not sure he could have managed to stay awake through one of Dumbledore's discussions even if he had been inclined to try to. "I really could do to get some sleep. Besides,” Harry went on as he  took Draco’s hand in his own, "I am sure that anything you and I have to discuss can be said in front of Draco.”

Neither Harry nor Draco missed the way that Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to narrow at that, but the blue gaze didn't lose its twinkle as the Headmaster nodded his acceptance. “Very well, Harry," he said calmly, "then perhaps we could meet tomorrow?” he suggested.

“Of course, sir,” Harry agreed with a slightly forced smile and a curt nod of his head. He didn't really want to come and speak with Dumbledore, but knew it might be important, and besides he was grateful that the Headmaster had allowed them to use the floo to get to Paris; giving the man a little of their time seemed a small price to pay. “We will come here after breakfast,” Harry told Dumbledore, making it as clear as he could, without being obviously rude, that he had no intention of returning without Draco.

“I think it would be best....” the Headmaster started to say, but Harry cut his off with a raised hand and a shake of his head.

“I'm sorry, sir," Harry said earnestly, feeling a little bad about interrupting the Headmaster, but not about to let Dumbledore shut Draco out of what was going on. "I can only assume this is either about school, in which case it is not a problem Draco knowing; my family’s safety, of which Draco is a key part...” Dumbledore looked ready to interrupt, but Harry continued on, giving the man a pointed look “...or is this about the prophecy and Voldemort?”

Draco shuffled himself closer into Harry’s side, as a sign of solidarity. There was no mistaking the annoyance that the Headmaster was failing to hide, but the two boys were determined, and needed Dumbledore to understand that they were in this together now.

The headmaster gave a weary sigh. “I have some information to share with you, Harry, and I would rather do so privately,” Dumbledore told him calmly, hoping that the teenager would see reason.

Harry frowned; it was clear that the headmaster had decided this was information he was only going to share with Harry and he was simply too tired to be able to fight the Headmaster on it at the moment. He mentally sighed to himself, coming to the conclusion that it was better to have the information and share it with Draco, Hermione and Ron later, than to push the old man to the point where he would not share the information at all.

“Very well," Harry agreed reluctantly, his expression making it perfectly clear that he was not at all happy about this. "I will come here after breakfast tomorrow,” he promised.

“I appreciate that, my boy.” Dumbledore said happily with a small nod, clearly pleased to have got his own way on this matter. “Now, why don’t you go get some rest?” he suggested with a warm smile.

Harry and Draco nodded at him and quickly left the office. Neither of them were really in the mood to spend any more time in the Headmaster's office than they had to. Once they were out in the corridors of the castle, they headed straight towards Gryffindor tower, to get access to their rooms.

“Can you believe the nerve of him?” Harry grumbled under his breath as they headed up the Grand Staircase. “I am going to tell you everything he tells me as soon as can anyway," he told his mate firmly, not wanting Draco to doubt that. "I don’t understand what he is trying to achieve by not allowing you to be there.”

“It does seem awfully suspicious,” Draco agreed, humming thoughtfully. “I cannot help but wonder what Dumbledore is planning because he seems to want to be able to talk to you without my input. Or maybe he just doesn’t trust me,” he added sadly.

“Well I don’t trust him,” Harry snapped suddenly, feeling more than a little sick of people assuming the worst of Draco; he understood why but that didn't mean he liked it. “Well... I mean... I trust him to end this war,” he clarified,  “...but I just don’t trust him to act in the best interests of me and my family.”

Draco nodded, squeezing Harry's hand in support. Harry had a point; there was no doubting Dumbledore’s power and influence, nor that the Headmaster wanted to end the war, but given the man's knowledge of the prophecy it seemed as though he was getting ready to let Harry be the front line. That was certainly unlikely to end well for Harry and the little family they were making together.

“Well, we will just have to tread carefully,” Draco suggested firmly, not about to let Dumbledore ruin this for them. “It wouldn’t do to have the old man thinking you would go against him," he commented with a small smirk, "not when we are so dependent on him for our family’s safety.”

“Agreed," Harry said, nodding his head. "Besides, we don’t know that we won’t agree with his plan,” he pointed out. “Maybe we are just being paranoid and it will all be okay.”

Draco scoffed at that, shaking his head. “Stupid Gryffindor optimism,” he said with an amused smile.

“Well we have to be optimists, to balance out all that Slytherin pessimism,” Harry joked, nudging his mate with his shoulder. “I will allow Dumbledore to explain himself first and we can go from there,” Harry suggested, in to give Draco a chaste kiss as they reached the portrait of the fat lady.

"It’s as good a plan as any," Draco said with a slightly dopey smile on his face as he looked up at his mate, his wings flexing behind him.

“I am glad to know you are with me in this," Harry told him earnestly, holding Draco close. "I love you.”

“I love you too,” Draco told him happily, leaning up to press another kiss to Harry's lips.

“Well I am very happy for you both, now who would like to give me the password?” the portrait of The Fat Lady asked snappishly.

-#-

“Well you have been saying how you want to have more information,” Draco pointed out at breakfast the next day, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s temperamental mood. He knew that Harry didn't want to go see the Headmaster but he had thought they had agreed that this would be for the best.

Harry looked up from his bowl of porridge, spoon half way to his mouth to glare at his submissive. Yes, he wanted information, but he didn't like that he was having to let Dumbledore manipulate him to get it, and Draco knew that.

“What?” Draco asked innocently; he understood that Harry wasn't happy about how things were with Dumbledore, but it was their only option at the moment. “I was thinking...”

Harry snorted before he could stop himself, and Draco narrow his eyes dangerously at the dominant. “Sorry,” Harry apologised quickly, gesturing for the blond to go on.

“I was thinking," Draco said firmly, glaring at his mate, daring him to make a joke again, "that while you are dealing with the delightful Headmaster, and hearing whatever he has to tell you, I might go talk to my father and Professor Snape.”

Harry frowned for a moment; his instinct was to refuse, to hold onto his mate and not let go, to hide Draco away from the world and protect him, but instead he quickly put the spoonful of his breakfast he was still holding into his mouth before he said something he was sure to regret. Draco, however, had no trouble reading the disapproval on his face.

“I know you would rather be there," Draco said sympathetically, understanding his mate's reservations, "but I don’t think that that would put my father in a co-operative mood.” He too found himself wishing that Harry could come with him for support, but logically he knew that it would likely only complicate the situation. “It isn’t like he will be able to hurt me... or the baby, he is still locked in that room, without a wand," Draco pointed out, "and Professor Snape will be there just in case.”

Taking a deep breath to calm his Erote mind, which was currently screaming at him that this was a terrible idea, Harry forced himself to nod in agreement. He knew that Draco was right, even if he wasn't really comfortable with it. “Okay, but Snape doesn’t let you out of his sight while you are there,” he insisted.

“Agreed.” Draco said quickly, mostly just happy that Harry had been so easily persuaded. Besides, he knew that he would feel a lot more comfortable talking to his father with Snape there the whole time anyway.

The two of them finished their breakfast fairly quickly, their shared anxiety about the meetings they were about to attend taking its toll on their appetites. Draco leaned gently against Harry’s side, once he had finished eating and Harry pushed his own half finished bowl of porridge away and wrapped an arm around his mate; the pleasant tingle of the now very familiar magical energy transfer calmed both their rushing minds.

“I love you,” Harry whispered, as though it was some secret only for Draco’s ears. The Great Hall wasn’t exactly busy, given that most students were still at home enjoying the holidays with their families, but the sweetness of the moment was not one he was willing to share with anyone.

Draco smiled up at his mate. “I know,”  he whispered back, with a wink, causing Harry to smile.

“Come on, you," Harry said, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple, and brushing his fingers over his mate's wings. "Let’s head over to Snape’s quarters so you can speak with your father.” He got to his feet, and Draco quickly followed suit, slipping their hands together and linking their fingers, stopping the dominant in his tracks.

“Harry, you have to go see the headmaster,” Draco reminded with a frown when Harry turned to look at him in confusion. He felt he should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy to talk Harry into leaving him to talk to Lucius, and Draco had to actively stop himself from stamping his feet like a child. He might be a submissive but that didn't mean he couldn't take care of himself.

“I know, Love," Harry said with a wry smile, pulling Draco into his side as they started to walk from the hall, "but I need to hear Snape promise that he will stay there and keep you safe.”

Draco rolled his eyes, but allowed his mate to lead him out into the corridor. “Professor Snape would never let anything happen to any student, Harry," he insisted, but Harry gave him a sceptical look. "Well nothing too terrible anyway,” he amended quickly, before ploughing on, “but the point is, he would certainly never let anything happen to me, least of all at the hands of my father.”

“Just appease my stupid over-protective nature, please, Draco,” Harry practically begged as they turned to head in the direction of the dungeons. He knew that he was probably being paranoid, but he couldn't help it.

Draco sighed. “Yeah, okay,” he agreed with a tone of exasperation, not wanting to admit that he found Harry's concern touching, even if the over-protectiveness was a little much at times. “This better ease off when I am not pregnant; nine months of it is going to be bad enough, I won’t be able to take it forever, Harry,” he told his mate sternly.

“I know,” Harry said somewhat sadly, knowing how annoying he would have found it if their roles had been reversed. “I am trying but it is really difficult," he tried to explain. "I just love you and our baby so damn much.”

“It’s okay, I understand even if I don’t always like it," Draco told him honestly. "Just don’t be surprised when I lose my temper over this someday,” he added, his eyes narrowing in a promise of Harry’s future suffering.

Harry chuckled nervously at that, as they came to a stop outside the professor's quarters; he didn't want to think about how he would likely pay when he inevitably did upset his pregnant submissive, and so instead knocked sharply on the edge of the portrait.

They waited quietly, sharing a puzzled look when there was no response; Snape had not been in the Great Hall so they had assumed they would find him in his private rooms. When there were still no signs of life a few minutes later, Draco knocked again.

This time there was a muffled and rather annoyed exclamation of what sounded like ‘Yes, hold on’ and a moment or two later the door was opened to reveal the half asleep form of the potions master. Snape's black eyes quickly narrowed into his very best glare at the sight of the two teenagers in the corridor outside of his room; though the stern effect was rather marred by the bathrobe and bed-head hair that Snape was currently wearing.

“Who is it, Severus?” Lucius’ voice called out, thankfully cutting Harry off before any of the comments that had popped into his head could actually be vocalised.

“Potter and Draco,” Snape called back, before turning his attention back to the two boys. “What are you doing here?” he demanded to know through clenched teeth, not moving from his spot in the doorway or giving any indication that they would be welcomed inside.

“Happy New Year to you too,” Draco said, though he was still half-laughing at the bizarre state of the potions master. Snape, however, looked far from amused, and so Draco gave a small cough and turned a little more serious as he carried on. “I came to speak with my father, I want his decision," he told him firmly. "He has already had longer than he should have needed to decide.”

Snape ran a hand over his face and sighed; this was not really how he had hoped to start the day, and he could only hope that Lucius wasn't going to do something stupid such as losing his temper with the boy or change his mind at the last moment. "You better come in then,” the potions master said, opening the door a little further and stepping aside to allow the teenagers into the room.

“Actually, Harry isn’t staying,” Draco said, with an elbow to his boyfriend’s ribs. “He has an important meeting with the headmaster,” he added, giving Harry a pointed look when the dominant remained close at his side, showing no inclination that he was going to move of his own accord.

“Yes, fine, I know,” Harry grumbled, neither wanting to go see Dumbledore nor leave Draco there. “Just promise me that you will keep him safe," he said, turning to face Snape; he wasn't exactly comfortable having to ask for such a thing from the potions master, and the rather stunned expression on the man's face was not making it any easier. "Please, Professor,” he requested reluctantly, knowing that he needed Snape's assurances before he could leave Draco there.

Snape’s eyes widened, looking even more surprised. While the request to protect Draco wasn’t entirely unexpected, the politeness and the ‘please’ certainly were. “I assure you, that Draco is perfectly safe in my care,” the potions master said firmly.

“I know," Harry said with conviction, for his own sake as much as anyone else's. "Just don’t leave Lucius alone with him,” he requested, fixing Snape with a stare and really hoping the man wasn't expecting him to actually be any nicer about it than he had been so far.

The potion master, however, simply nodded curtly and for a moment when Harry and Snape stared at each other there was an understanding between them; and they would have been hard pressed to decide who was more disturbed by it.

Draco looked back and forward between his boyfriend and the potions master with growing incredulity. “I am not some child, you know, and I am right here,” he reminded them, waiving a hand in front of Harry's face and sounding slightly put out.

“Sorry," Harry said, coughing a little at the uncomfortable moment hung in the air, as he turned to give Draco an apologetic smile. "Well, I should get going,” he added a bit awkwardly, swinging his arms, and ignoring the exasperated expression on Snape's face. “Good luck, Love."

“Thanks,” Draco said quietly, letting Harry place a chaste kiss on his lips before stepping through the doorway into the room and past the potions master.

“Potter!” Snape called out as Harry turned to leave them. The teen turned and waited, “Just be careful with the headmaster," he suggested with a pointed look. "He doesn’t always do what is best for everyone.” The potions master paused for a moment, before going on. “Just remember to make up your own mind.”

Harry frowned at that. It was strangely comforting that Snape was trying to help out, but he couldn't figure out if he was worried or relieved that he wasn't the only one apparently seriously questioning the Headmaster's choices. However, for the moment he was just grateful that Snape had taken the time to give him advice and he managed to smile, giving the man a respectful nod of appreciation.

“Will do,” Harry promised, knowing that that was one agreement he would definitely be able to keep.

-#-

“Draco,” Lucius said slowly, getting to his feet as the teenager stepped into Snape’s rooms. The man's voice was slightly breathy when he spoke, and his eyes trailed over his slender, winged son, lingering for a moment of the mass of purple feathers clearly visible over Draco's shoulders.

“Father,”  Draco greeted curtly in response, his arms crossed over his chest and a blank expression on his face, as he too took a moment to look over the man before him.

The first thing that he noticed was the man’s state of dress; Lucius hair had clearly been tied up in a hurry and he was dressed only in a robe that look suspiciously like the one that Professor Snape was wearing.

He glanced back towards the professor, who was still at the door, and then to his father once more, wondering if the two of them had finally manage to work through their issues. As disturbing as some of the mental images popping into his head were, Draco hoped that they had; he was mad at his father for many things but it would take a blind man to not be able to see how great the pair of them would be for each other.

“Tea?” Snape asked bluntly when he finally shut the door a few moments later, breaking through the tension that was hanging in the air between the two Malfoys.

“Please,” Lucius responded with a soft smile, and a small nod of his head; Draco nearly snorted in amusement at his father's attempt to look superior while wearing a dressing gown and standing in his own personal mini-prison.

Biting at his lip and quickly turning to the potions master instead, he caught the look that Severus was giving Lucius, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he once again looked between the pair of them. There was no doubting that something had changed and it wasn’t taking much imagination on his part to work out what.

"Draco?" Severus asked, when the teenager had said nothing.

"Oh yes, tea would be great, thanks," Draco said promptly, smirking knowingly as the potions master headed into the kitchenette. He was definitely pleased with the development but wasn't about to let them off easily.

Lucius moved a chair to by the barred doorway and took a seat, his eyes fixed on his son. Severus summoned a couple of high backed chairs in front of Lucius' room, from where he was making tea; Draco promptly took a seat in one of them, meeting his father's eye with a blank expression, while they waited for the potions master. 

“I have missed you, Draco.” Lucius told his son, face every bit as free of emotion as Draco’s. “I was disappointed not to see you at all over Christmas,” he added, as Snape floated a cup of tea across the room towards Lucius, the tall blonde accepting it with a curt nod of his head.

 Snape joined them a moment later, handing Draco his tea as he took a seat next to the teenager facing Lucius’ prison. The three of them sat quietly, each sipping at their drink.

“Well..." Draco said, wanting to break the awkward tension between them, "...it looks as though Professor Snape has been doing a fine job of keeping you company,” he said with a knowing half smile, not really sure that he believed that his father had actually missed him.

Snape nearly choked on his tea at the teenager's words and Lucius was wide eyed, his mouth hanging half open, as he tried to work out what to say to his son’s implication. Lucius was only just coming to terms with the feelings he had for his lifelong friend, only just starting to accept that his attraction to the grumpy potions master was part of him, and not induced by whatever it was that Draco had done; he wasn't sure how to even try to explain what was happening between him and Severus to his son.

“I... that is to say... we...” Lucius started, stumbling over his words in a most un-Malfoy like fashion, while Severus was still trying to find his own voice.

“You do not have to justify your choices to me, father,” Draco said snobbishly, feeling decidedly smug about having put the two men so off balance. “Does this mean the influence of my wings has finally worn off?” he asked curiously, before turning his smug expression to the potions master sat in the chair next to him. “Or did you finally just give in, Professor?”

Snape brow furrowed into something close to a scowl at that, clearly not at all happy with the implication that he would take advantage of Lucius but still struggling to regain his usual calm and in-control manner. “I think it is a little of both,” Snape told him with surprising honesty a moment later.

Draco raised an eyebrow in a silent question and waited, hoping that one of them would buckle under the pressure and just give him the answers he was looking for. He was sure the guilty looks both men were wearing were going to work in his favour, though he didn't really believe that their apparent relationship was anything that they should be guilty about.

“I believe your influence has mostly gone,” Lucius admitted quietly, turning his son's attention back to him. He found it difficult to be certain, but he felt confident now that his feelings were his own; the influence was definitely greatly lessened, at least, as he felt humiliated by some of his earlier actions now.

“And yet you two still seem to have gotten... closer,” Draco pointed out.

Snape ran his hand over his face again; this was definitely not the morning he had had in mind. He had been hoping to wake up in his new lover’s arms, have a relaxed breakfast together, maybe do some brewing or read for a while... There was nothing for it now though; Draco seemed quite disturbingly aware of how their relationship had progressed and was obviously not going to let them pretend otherwise.

“We have,” Snape confirmed, and the man felt quite proud of himself when the words came out without his voice shaking at all, he almost sounded confident in the statement.

“So you accept that your feelings for the professor here are real?" Draco asked, smiling innocently at his father. "That they were not entirely from the influence of my wings?”

Lucius frowned; ‘stupid brat,’ he thought, cursing his son silently. He was, reluctantly, almost impressed that Draco had managed to ask the one question he wasn’t sure he was quite ready to answer to himself, let alone in front of Severus.

“I...” Lucius said, pausing to take a slow calming breath. “I believe there might be more to my feelings for Severus that I had originally understood,” he admitted with a stern expression on his face. "And they might not entirely be due to the influence your wings had over me," he added after a few seconds.

Snape was staring at Lucius in shock; from this normally stoic and cold man, the words were practically a declaration of undying love. Draco looked to be equally surprised, not actually having believed he would get anything more than denials and petty excuses from his father.

“I am glad to hear it,” Draco told him with respectful nod of his head and a small smile on his face; he was quietly delighted for the two of them, but didn't think that either would appreciate him making a big thing out of Lucius' confession. “I am also glad to hear that you are yourself once again," he went on, "that way you can give me an honest answer as to your choice.”

Lucius stared unblinkingly at his son. He had made up his mind on this matter some time ago but it was still not going to be easy to admit. It hadn’t truly been a difficult choice to choose his son over the Dark Lord, and now that he knew the only way he could keep Severus was to make the same choice, it was even easier. However, this was the point of no return, once he spoke the words there was no undoing them.

“I choose you, Draco," he said with confidence. "I choose you and your child; it was always going to be you.” He paused, needing a moment to keep his strength. “I still believe in many of the Dark Lord’s ways, that we need to protect and defend our magic and our blood, but not enough to give up my family.”

Draco was trying very hard not to grin like a madman and restrained himself to just a small smile. “You really mean that?” he asked before he was able to stop himself; he had been convinced that he was going to lose his father over this issue.

“I mean it," Lucius said with a serious expression and a nod of his head. "I am not happy about the situation and I will not turn against the Dark Lord," he added, causing Draco to scowl, but went on before the teenager could comment. "I will, however, agree to stay out of the war and remain hidden. I suggest we allow our Lord to believe Dumbledore has me prisoner somewhere.”

Draco kept his expression blank as he nodded his understanding. It wasn't as though he had expected Lucius to renounce the his ways and swear loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix or anything of the like. Draco was happy to take his blessings where he found them and right now, having his father’s acceptance of the situation and promises of loyalty to him and his child were definitely blessings.

“Well, now we have this... unpleasantness dealt with, I hear you spent New Year’s in Paris,” Lucius said, with a small smile at his son, keen to change the subject. He knew he had made the right choice, that he could never give up on Draco and the future of the Malfoy family, but that didn't mean he wanted to have some emotional heart-to-heart about it.

“We did," Draco told him happily. "With mother and Adrien,” he added, watching his father's reaction closely. Given that Lucius had known that he was in Paris, it was likely that the man had known who he was with, but he didn't really have any idea how his father was going to react to a discussion about his mother's relationship.

“Adrien?” Lucius said, chuckling slightly at his son's apparent nervousness. “So that’s his name, I always wondered.” If he really had been bothered by Narcissa's lover then he would have put a stop to it a long time ago.

Draco smiled, largely in relief that he wasn't going to have to tiptoe around the topic of his mother and Adrien. “He is a good man, Father," the teenager told him. "They seem happy, be pleased for her," he requested hopefully.

“I am pleased for her, Draco," Lucius assured him. "I have always been pleased for her, even if I wasn’t ready to give up on our marriage. Our hand was somewhat forced on that matter, though,” he pointed out, glaring at Draco, but it was lacking any true intensity.

 “Yeah...” Draco said slowly as he ran his hand through his hair; he did feel slightly guilty for his part in everything but given the result so far, he wasn’t going to apologise. "I have to say, it really lovely to see both my parents happy,” he added, hoping that his father could see that this had been for the best.

“Well I will not deny my appreciation of this turn of events,” Snape admitted, and Lucius hummed in agreement as he sipped at his tea again.

Draco turned to look at the potions master and was glad to see that Snape was wearing a pleased smirk, and looking at Lucius in a way that Draco found a little disturbing. However, the teenager smiled; he was sure that it was all too good to be true, that they couldn't possibly all be happy, but Draco was more than willing to go along with it while the Fates chose to smile in their favour. He just hoped that Harry’s meeting with the headmaster was going as well as his with his father had.


	16. Evidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is VERY heavily based on Chapter 10 (The House Of Gaunt) of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince; the dialogue in the memory is taken almost exactly as in the original chapter and so full credit to J.K. Rowling for all borrowed text.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Harry was feeling distinctly grumpy as he made his way towards Dumbledore’s office. He had not been happy to leave Draco in Snape’s quarters but understood that it was for the best and that his mate would be perfectly safe in the potion master's care. He had managed to catch up on sleep the day before, after his sleepless night in Paris, but having to deal with one of the Headmaster's lessons was likely going to be far too tiring for such an early hour in the day.

It wasn’t helping that he was going to be worrying about Draco until he saw for himself that his mate and unborn child were unharmed and Harry was more than willing to rain hell down upon Lucius Malfoy, should the man fail to do right by Draco for once in his life.

_'You keep saying how you want to have more information.'_

The words that Draco had told him over breakfast came back to him as he found himself stood in front of the set of stairs up to the Headmaster's office. He knew it was true and that he should be glad that the old man was finally giving him some answers but Dumbledore's obvious reluctance to include Draco in whatever he was planning was putting Harry on edge.

He really was finding it increasingly difficult to trust the man, particularly with Snape's warning so fresh in his mind, but he had gone over this again and again, and he really had no choice but to at least hear the Headmaster out for the moment. And so he took a calming breath and climbed the steps that were usually hidden behind the gargoyle.

“Come in, Harry,” Dumbledore called out happily, when Harry knocked loudly on the office door. "Good morning," the Headmaster added jovially as Harry stepped into the room and closed the heavy door behind himself.

"Headmaster," Harry said politely, giving the man a small nod as he approached the desk where Dumbledore was sitting. He didn't agree entirely with the sentiment that this particular morning was a good one; he had definitely preferred the morning of the previous day and couldn’t help the amused smile that crept onto his face at the less than appropriate memories of his and Draco's shared shower in Paris.

“I trust that today finds you more rested than when we spoke last?” Dumbledore enquired kindly as he pushed himself out of his chair, taking a moment to stroke his fingers through Fawkes’ feathers as he made his way around the large desk.

Harry nodded again. "Yes, thank you, sir." It was apparent that Dumbledore was hoping to start an actual friendly conversation between the two of them, but Harry was not at all in the mood; he wasn't there for a social call, and he didn't want to be away from Draco any longer than he actually needed to be.

Thankfully, the Headmaster seemed to get the message and when he spoke again his tone was businesslike. “Last term you expressed an interest in my plans and the information I have about Voldemort,” the Headmaster said, fixing Harry with a stern look

“Yes,” Harry answered, though it hadn’t really been a question; Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be trying to look into his soul and Harry found this annoyed him a great deal more than it had in the past. “You promised to explain a lot of things," the teenager added trying not to sound too bitter about how much he had been kept in the dark, "and I think you mentioned something about some memories you wanted me to show me.” His tone was somewhat harsher than he had intended and he promptly added “sir,” feeling momentarily worried that he had been overly rude.

Dumbledore nodded, seemly unfazed by Harry mood. “I also promised protection for your family,” the Headmaster reminded him, approaching the teenager. “I received a letter from Tonks just this morning," he said, indicating a piece of parchment that was open on his desk. "She has agreed, with permission from the minister of magic, to take over the post of Defence against the Dark Arts Professor.” The old man peered over his glasses to watch Harry closely, as he so often did. “She also suggested we recruit the former Professor Lupin.”

Harry, who was already smiling at the thought of having Tonks around, broke it a delighted grin at the prospect of having Remus at Hogwarts again. “Really?” he asked hopefully, barely daring to believe that the last of his parent’s friends would agree to return to the school, particularly given how he had been ‘encouraged’ to leave the last time.

The Headmaster dipped his head in confirmation. “I have already written to Remus," Dumbledore told him. "I have informed him that there have been some developments that you and I would like to discuss with him, and that his assistance in assuring your safety whilst at the school would be appreciated."

Harry nodded his understanding as he mulled it all over. He knew that Remus was likely to seriously consider returning if he thought it would help protect Harry. The teenager didn't like the idea that Remus would be pushed into taking the job at the school for his sake, but it at least sounded like Dumbledore was going to let him be involved in the discussion, which meant that he would be able to make sure that Remus at least knew all the facts before making his choice about whether or not to return.

"I rather thought you would want the opportunity to explain the situation to him yourself, in person," Dumbledore went on, when Harry said nothing. "Though I am quite sure that as soon as Remus is aware that his position here would be to assist you, he will not hesitate.”

“Thank you,” Harry said earnestly, his mood now having improved greatly, giving the Headmaster an honest smile. He agreed that Remus was likely to agree to take the position, but at the moment he was just glad that he was going to get to talk to his father's friend.

“You are most welcome,” Dumbledore responded cheerfully, glad to have finally got a reaction from the teenager. “Now, however," he went on, heading over to one of the cabinets against the wall of his office, "we have an appointment to keep with the late Mr Bob Ogden, or, more specifically, his memory.”

Harry rolled his eyes slightly, finding himself lost in the middle ground between amusement and resignation. “Bob Ogden?” he asked curiously, despite himself.

“He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,” the Headmaster told Harry, as he removed his pensieve from the cabinet. “Although he sadly died some time ago now, I was able to meet with him before then and was successful in persuading him to share his recollections of a particular meeting," he explained. "I would like to share this memory with you today, Harry.”

“You make it sound as though you have many such memories to show me,” Harry observed, crossing the office towards the Headmaster's desk, glaring slightly at the stone basin as Dumbledore carefully placed it on the side closest to them. Harry was not fond of the device; his previous experience with it had left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. “ And that you are not planning on showing them to me today,” he added, narrowing his eyes at the Headmaster.

“That is indeed so, Harry,” Dumbledore confirmed, sounding mildly impressed that Harry had interpreted as much from his words. “This is a complex matter and I feel it would be unwise to impart too much of this information at once," the Headmaster explained. "I believe it would be advisable to allow what I wish to explain today to settle in your mind before we attempt to address anything further.”

Harry had to restrain the growl that was trying to escape his throat; the older man’s constant need to control everything was grating on him and his irritation with the Headmaster was rapidly growing again. He had many things that he wanted to say to Dumbledore; however, with a level of self-restraint for which he was sure Draco would have been proud of him, he managed to hold his tongue.

“For now, however," Dumbledore went on joyfully, as though the teenager wasn't glaring daggers at him, "I invite you to join me in the past.” The Headmaster pulled a small crystal bottle from the pocket of his robes and held it up for Harry to see.

It was full of a silvery substance that seemed to be neither liquid nor gas, which Harry recognised as a collected memory; this one presumably belonging to the aforementioned Bob Ogden. However, it was not the small bottle that had caught Harry’s attention but rather the blackened and somewhat dead appearance of the hand holding it.

“Sir!” Harry exclaimed with a gasp. “What happened?” His face was scrunched up slightly in both concern for the Headmaster and disgust, for the hand really was quite a gruesome sight.

It appeared to take a few moments for the Headmaster to register what had caused Harry's rather alarmed reaction and, as he followed the teenager's stare to his own hand, he sighed. “Ah, that is a tale for another time, my boy," Dumbledore said, his tone heavy with what Harry thought might be regret. "I assure you all that can be done, has been done, and that it causes me no pain.”

Harry nodded his acceptance of the dismissal, recognising it for what it was; however, he didn’t stop frowning or take his eyes from the damaged hand, as the Headmaster struggled to pull the stopper from the bottle. “Sir, shall I...?” Harry offered, not liking to watch the man struggle.

“No matter, Harry...” Dumbledore assured him, as he drew his wand in one swift motion and used a silent spell to uncork the bottle instead. The Headmaster poured the memory into the shallow stone basin and returned to the empty phial to his pocket. “After you,” he insisted, as he indicated the bowl with a wave of his good hand.

Harry shook off his still burning curiosity about what had happened to Dumbledore's hand, knowing that it wasn't really any of his business, and reminding himself that he had other things to be thinking about at the moment. He braced himself as he took the last few steps to stand next to the Headmaster by the pensieve.

He looked up and noticed Dumbledore was smiling encouragingly. He really hated the sensation he knew was coming but it felt a bit churlish to even consider backing out now, when he had been the one who wanted the answers this memory would apparently give him. So, reminding himself that it was in the name of creating a safe world for his family, he leaned forward and, taking a breath, he plunged his face in.

As Harry had expected, he was hit by the sudden and unnerving sensation of falling. The Headmaster’s office and the Headmaster himself were both gone and he was surrounded by an oppressive darkness, until, quite suddenly, he wasn’t.

The bright sunlight stung at his eyes a little, and the feeling of firm ground beneath his feet was somewhat disorientating for a few seconds; by the time he had his bearings, Dumbledore was standing next to him, watching him with a patient expression.

Harry looked around, trying to work out where they were. They seemed to be on a country lane; high hedgerows stood on either side of the road and, given the clear blueness of the sky and the warmth of the air, Harry assumed it to be summer.

There was a man a little way ahead of them; Bob Ogden, Harry assumed. He was short and plump, with thick glasses and was currently inspecting a nearby sign post. He had the appearance of what Harry now easily recognised as a wizard in muggle clothing; a frock-coat and spats were not, to the best of Harry's knowledge, the usual accompaniment to a striped one-piece bathing suit and the sight brought a small smile to the corner of Harry’s mouth.

Having seemingly identified the direction in which he needed to go, Mr Ogden headed off down the lane and Harry didn’t need the hand Dumbledore placed on his upper back to know they should follow him.

As they passed it, Harry glanced at the sign Ogden had been reading; they were heading towards Little Hangleton, which was apparently just one mile away, as opposed to Great Hangleton, which was five miles away in the opposite direction; not that that really told him anything, as neither was familiar to Harry.

The two of them followed Ogden a short way down the lane before it veered off to then left and down a hill, the valley below suddenly displayed before them. They could see a little village, which Harry suspect to be Little Hangleton, safely tucked between two hills, looking quaint with its church and large manor house, complete with large grassy grounds.

Harry and Dumbledore made haste as they followed the strangely dressed man, as Ogden's pace had increased thanks to the downwards slope the road had taken. They only just saw as the man suddenly turned, disappearing from sight, and Harry was unsurprised when Dumbledore let them off the road through the gap in the hedge and onto a small dirt track.

The path was significantly narrower than the road they had just left and uneven underfoot as they followed it downhill and into a dark patch of trees. It was only a few moments later that they managed to catch up with Ogden; the man was standing with his wand out, just a little way ahead of them. Given the bright sunlight outside the copse, it took Harry's eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness caused by the thick growth of trees all around them, and so it was a few moments before Harry noticed the half hidden house.

The building seemed to be somewhat the worse for wear, with its mossy walls, broken and missing roof tiles, exposed rafters and impressive collection of nettles; Harry couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been abandoned and what Ogden could possibly want in such a place.

He was about to turn to Dumbledore and ask, but almost jumped out of his skin when a window was very suddenly thrown open with a loud thud as it hit against the wall and steam, or maybe smoke, began to pour out. It was apparent that the place wasn't nearly as abandoned as Harry had assumed, but that just made him even more curious, wondering who might live there.

Ogden stepped forward cautiously and Harry had to admit that he was not in any hurry to enter the building either, not even knowing that it was just a memory. It seemed that his caution was well earned as, with a rustle and a crack, a filthy, scruffily dressed man dropped from a tree in front of Ogden, attempted to back away quickly; however, in his haste, Ogden managed to stand on his own coat and stumbled backwards a few paces.

“ _You’re not welcome,_ ” the unknown man stated, glaring at Ogden with small dark eyes. The man's hair was thick and black, and as dirty as the rest of him, when he sneered Harry could see that he had several teeth missing; Harry found the whole appearance nothing short of frightening.

“Err... good morning," Odgen greeted a little hesitantly, tugging at his coat and trying to regain his composure. "I am from the Ministry of Magic...,” he attempted to explain but apparently the other man was not interested in hearing what he had to say.

The man was brandishing both a wand and a knife, one in each hand as he took another step towards the ministry official. “You’re not welcome,” the man repeated, interrupting Ogden.

Ogden looked a little ruffled but held his ground and Harry rather thought that Ogden was far braver than he would have been in his place. “Err... I’m sorry... I don’t understand you,” Ogden said his voice shaking slightly in nervousness.

Harry's face scrunched in confusion at that, thinking that the unknown man had made himself perfectly clear, but a few seconds later the realisation hit him hard. “Parseltongue,” Harry whispered under his breath. Having heard it spoken so very rarely, it was not what he had been expecting at all and didn't know what to think now that he had.

 “Very good, ” Dumbledore praised, and when Harry turned to look at the Headmaster he saw that the man was smiling at him with approval.

Harry's thoughts were racing, so many questions rushing through his mind. He had thought that Voldemort the only person, other than himself, who would speak parseltongue, but this was a memory, so he didn't really know _when_ they currently were. Did that mean these people were also descedents of Slytherin, that they were related to Voldemort?

He opened his mouth to ask but the Headmaster raised a single finger to his lips and nodded his head towards Ogden and the stranger. Harry got the message; he was supposed to pay attention now, and questions could come later.

The man in rags was prowling forward towards Ogden and the ministry official, even without understanding parseltongue, could have no illusions about just how unwelcome he was. “Now look...” Ogden said in a valiant attempt to take control of the situation; however, the strange man was having none of it and with a sudden bang, Ogden was on the ground, clutching at his face as some kind of yellowish goo started coming from his nose.

“Morfin!” came a gruff yell, and an older man with broad shoulders and oddly long arms came scurrying from the house; his eyes were bright and brown in colour, and though he was cleaner than the man now identified as Morfin, his hair was just as shabby and Harry couldn’t help but think that there was something monkey like about his appearance.

Morfin was clearly amused by what he had done to Ogden and was laughing at the state of the ministry official when the older man came to stand next to him. “Ministry, is it?” the man who had just come out of the house asked, looking at Ogden with a sneer.

“Correct,” Ogden confirmed angrily, his hand still pressed against his own nose. “And you, I take it, are Mr. Gaunt?” he asked, seemingly getting rather impatient with the two other men.

“That’s right,” Gaunt said bluntly. “Got you in the face, did he?” he asked, sneering down at Ogden, who was still sat on the ground trying in vain to stem the flow of strange goo from his nose.

“Yes, he did,” Ogden snapped indignantly.

“Should’ve made your presence known, shouldn’t you?” Gaunt suggested in rather an aggressive tone. It seemed pretty obvious that Harry that Gaunt was not at all concerned about the fact that Morfin had attacked a Ministry employee and had no respect for Ogden in the slightest. “This is private property," Gaunt went on. "Can’t just walk in here and not expect my son to defend himself.”

“Defend himself against what, man?” Ogden asked incredulously, as he finally scrambled back to his feet. Harry definitely agreed with him on that front because Morfin's attack had seemed entirely unprovoked.

“Busybodies. Intruders. Muggles and filth,” Gaunt told him, as though it should have been obvious, and Harry frowned, realising that despite the squalid living conditions of these men, they seemingly followed much of the same pure-blood politics that he had heard before.

Ogden didn't look particularly impressed by this excuse either, and used his wand to quickly fix whatever had been done to his nose, before taking a few seconds to compose himself. Harry suspected that this wasn't the first time that Mr Ogden had dealt with such attitudes.

 _“Get in the House. Don’t argue,”_ Harry heard Gaunt hiss at his son, and Morfin, though he looked like he wanted to disagree, obeyed the order leaving Gaunt and Ogden to speak alone.

“It is your son I’m here to see, Mr Gaunt,” Ogden informed him, sounding extremely frustrated as he struggled to rid himself and his clothing of the last remnants of the yellow mess. “That was Morfin, wasn’t it?” he questioned.

“Ar, that was Morfin,” Gaunt confirmed casually, apparently not bothered in the slightest that there was a Ministry official at his door wanting to speak with his son. “Are you a pure blood?” he asked suddenly.

Harry's frown deepened into a scowl though he was somewhat placated when Ogden responded dismissively with, “that’s neither here nor there.”

“Now I come to think of it, I’ve seen noses like yours down in the village,” Gaunt declared, his voice thick with disgust as he narrowed his eyes, peering more closely at Ogden's appearance with a look of suspicion.

“I don’t doubt it, if your son’s been let loose on them,” Ogden told him bitterly through clenched teeth. “Perhaps we could continue this discussion inside,” he suggested, once again trying to regain his composure.

“Inside?” Gaunt asked, looking baffled by the very suggestion, and Harry suspected this was the kind of man who would want proof of ten generations of blood purity before he would even consider agreeing to let you through the door.

“Yes, Mr Gaunt," Ogden said with obvious exasperation, "I’ve already told you. I’m here about Morfin. We sent an owl...”

“I’ve no use for owls,” Gaunt interrupted bluntly. “I don’t open letters.”

“Then you can hardly complain that you get no warning of visitors,” Ogden pointed out and Harry couldn’t help but smirk at the defiance the ministry employee was showing. “I am here following a serious breach of wizarding law which occurred here in the early hours of this morning...”

“All right, all right, all right!’ Gaunt yelled, sounding quite irate. “Come in the bleeding house, then, and much good it’ll do you!” he griped as he lead Ogden inside; Harry quickly followed, Dumbledore only a few  paces behind him.

Harry looked around the small house curiously, there were only three rooms as far as he could tell from the two doors leading out of the main room, which didn't seem to be in much better condition than the outside of the building. Morfin was slouched in an armchair, which was every bit as dirty as him, playing with a snake, letting it slide between his fingers as he cooed at it in parseltongue.

_“Hissy hissy, little snakey, Slither on the floor. You be good to Morfin, or he’ll nail you to the door.”_

Harry shuddered; the man really was creepy. He turned from Morfin and continued to look around the room; it appeared to be both their living room and kitchen, and he was surprised to notice the bedraggled form of a girl in the kitchen area, doing something with the pots and pans.

The girl was plain and pale skinned, and her grey clothes almost camouflaging her against the stone wall behind her. She kept her eyes down, seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible and, while cleaner than the men, she looked like life had defeated her.

“My daughter, Merope,” Gaunt grudgingly introduced with a dismissive wave of his hand, causing the girl to glance over at the her father and Ogden.

“Good morning,” Ogden greeted kindly; Merope, however, didn’t respond, instead returning her attentions to the shelf of pots and pans. “Well, Mr Gaunt,” Ogden went on, “to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son, Morfin, performed magic in front of a muggle late last night.”

Harry started as there was a loud clang; Merope had dropped a pot, catching the attention of the others in the room. “Pick it up.” Gaunt yelled, making Harry flinch involuntarily. “That’s it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle. What’s your wand for, you useless sack of muck?”

Harry was simultaneously saddened and furious to see the man speak to his daughter in such a way and couldn’t help but remember the verbal lashings that his Uncle Vernon had given him; it wasn't something that he would wish on anyone. He couldn't help but think of his own unborn child, silently swearing that no-one would ever treat them in such a way; he was confident that Draco would be of the same mind on this.

“Mr. Gaunt, please!” Ogden exclaimed with a gasp, apparently as disgusted at the man’s behaviour as Harry.

Merope, who had the pot back in her hands again, flushed scarlet and it was no more than a few seconds before she lost her grip on it again. As it hit the floor loudly, she shakily pulled her wand from a pocket and muttered a spell under her breath. Whatever the intended result had been,  it failed, and instead the pot was sent flying the width of the small room, straight into a wall, where it cracked in two.

Morfin was seemly very amused and was openly laughing at her failure; Harry’s eyes narrowed at the man's complete lack of respect for his own sister. “Mend it, you pointless lump, mend it.” Gaunt bellowed, clearly having no more consideration for her than Morfin.

Merope went to raise her wand in a trembling hand; however, Ogden beat her to it and, with a quick wave of his wand, repaired the pot before the girl had even had a moment to attempt it. Gaunt seemed to be considering yelling at Ogden but apparently decided against it, turning on his daughter again instead.

“Lucky the nice man from the ministry’s here, isn’t it?" Gaunt sneered at her. "Perhaps he’ll take you off my hands; perhaps he doesn’t mind dirty Squibs.”

Harry’s fists were clenched, his nails digging into his palms. "This is just a memory," Dumbledore pointed out softly, the Headmaster resting a hand on Harry's shoulder, having apparently noticed Harry's agitation. "There is nothing to be done to change any of these events," he pointed out when the teenager turned to look up at him.

Harry nodded, he knew the truth of the Headmaster's words, but that didn't make it any easier to keep his temper in check. Merope, however, seemed quite used to such treatment and, without comment, returned the pot back to its shelf. As Harry turned back to the scene playing out before them, she moved to silently stand against the stone wall by the stove, close to the window.

“Mr Gaunt,” Ogden said, tried once again to get control of the situation, perhaps in the hope of turning the man’s attention away from Merope, “as I’ve said, the reason for my visit...”

“I heard you the first time!” Gaunt snapped angrily. “And so what?" he demanded, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Morfin gave the muggle a bit of what was coming to him... what about it then?”

“Morfin has broken wizarding law,” Ogden told him, his voice stern and obviously frustrated that Gaunt wasn't taking the matter at all seriously.

“Morfin has broken wizarding law,” Gaunt mocked, much to Morfin’s amusement. “He taught a filthy muggle a lesson, that’s illegal now is it?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Ogden stated firmly, as he pulled out a scroll and began to open it, “I’m afraid it is.”

“What’s that, then, his sentence?” Gaunt demanded, his tempter rising again. Harry too found himself curious and wanting to go read what it said, but Dumbledore's hand was still on his shoulder.

Ogden looked up from the scroll. “It is a summons to the ministry for a hearing...” he explained after a moment, but Gaunt had apparently heard enough already.

“Summons! Summons?!" Gaunt exclaimed in outrage. "Who do you think you are, summoning my son anywhere?” he furiously demanded to know. Harry actually also laughed at the ridiculousness of the man's arrogance.

“I’m head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad,” Ogden informed him with stern calmness, though Harry suspected that such a title would not mean much in Gaunt’s opinion and more than likely do nothing to earn the man's respect.

“And you think we’re scum, do you?” yelled Gaunt, advancing on the ministry employee again, a finger pointed in accusation. “Scum that will come running when the ministry tell ‘em to? Do you know who you’re talking to, you filthy little mudblood, do you?”

“I was under the impression that I was speaking to Mr Gaunt,” Ogden said warily and again Harry was surprised by his determination and courage the Ministry official showed as he stood his ground.

“That’s right!” Gaunt bellowed proudly, as though this explained away everything. He held up his hand, his middle finger upright, showing the large black stoned ring that sat there. “See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from?” Gaunt asked angrily. “Centuries it has been in our family, that’s how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way! Know how much I’ve been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone.”

“I’ve really no idea,” Ogden admitted, clearly slightly unnerved and confused by the ring being held so very close to his face in such an aggressive manner. “And it is quite beside the point, Mr Gaunt," he went on with determination. "Your son has committed...”

Gaunt, however, was not to be dissuaded and was seemingly determined to have Ogden understand his family's importance. The man stormed towards Merope and Harry flinched, worried for a moment that Gaunt might turn violent towards the girl, tensing as the man’s hands went to her neck. However, Ogden’s grip tightened on Merope's necklace, using it to drag her across the room.

“See this?” he demanded, waving the locket in Ogden’s face, as he had done with the ring, seemingly oblivious to his daughter still being attached to it and ignoring Merope spluttering and gasping for air.

“I see it, I see it!” Ogden told him quickly, clearly worried for the girl's safety. Harry too was getting a little concerned, but the Headmaster's hand on his shoulder tightened slightly, reminding him that this was just a memory and there was truly nothing that they could do for Merope.

“Slytherin’s!” Gaunt yelled at the Ministry official. “Salazar Slytherin’s! We’re his last living descendants. What do you say to that, eh?” he demanded with a decidedly smug air about him.

Harry was still worried about the slowly suffocating girl, who was looking increasingly panicked as she tried to escape from the necklace that was pulled tight around her throat, but at the mention of Slytherin Harry's curiosity had him looking up at Dumbledore with a questioning expression on his face.

 “Mr Gaunt, your daughter,” Ogden exclaimed, sounding quite alarmed, but Harry kept his focus on Dumbledore, not sure that he would be able to cope with just standing there and watching this girl's own father suffocate her.

Harry was sure he was right; these people were, in some way, Voldemort’s family but he still failed to understand what it was about this memory that was so important. Dumbledore, however, was apparently not answering questions yet, and nodded towards the scene once more. With a small frown, he reluctantly turned his attention back to Ogden and Gaunt, and was thankful to see that Merope had been released; the girl was once again cowering in her corner, still gasping for air as she ran a hand over her abused throat.

“So,” Gaunt declared as though he had won a great victory and was now beyond reproach, “don’t you go talking to us as if we’re dirt on your shoes! Generations of pure-bloods, wizards all... more than you can say, I don’t doubt!” Gaunt spat at Ogden's feet, causing Morfin let out a laugh that was all but a cackle.

“Mr Gaunt,” Ogden said, apparently not ready to give in despite the man’s persistent attitude, “I’m afraid that neither your ancestors nor mine have anything to do with the matter in hand. I am here because of Morfin, Morfin and the muggle he accosted late last night. Our information is that..." Ogden paused and looked down to read from the scroll in his hands, "...Morfin performed a jinx or hex on said muggle, causing him to erupt in highly painful hives.”

Morfin practically giggled in glee at the description of what he had done. Gaunt was apparently less impressed though because he hastily hissed, _“be quiet, boy,”_ at Morfin before turning back to Ogden once more. “And so what if he did then?”Gaunt demanded. “I expect you have wiped the muggle’s filthy face clean for him, and his memory to boot...”

“That’s hardly the point, is it, Mr Gaunt?” Ogden proclaimed, sounding more than a little exasperated. “This was an unprovoked attack on a defenceless...”

“Ar, I had you marked as a muggle lover the moment I saw you,” Gaunt interrupted, sneering in disgust and once again spat at Ogden's feet.

“This discussion is getting us nowhere," Ogden said, apparently having finally had enough, "it is clear from your son’s attitude he feels no remorse for his actions.” The Ministry official looked down and read from the scroll again. “Morfin will attend a hearing on the fourteenth of September to answer the charges of using magic in front of a muggle and causing harm and distress to that same muggle...”

The sound of a horse and carriage passing nearby made them all pause and look towards the sound, even the otherwise silent Merope. Harry looked to Dumbledore for a second, but the Headmaster was also looking towards the window, and so Harry followed his lead.

“My god, what an eyesore.” The rather pompous voice of a girl carried through the open window. “Couldn’t your father have that hovel cleared away, Tom?” she asked.

“It’s not ours. Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt and his children,” a fairly disinterested male voice replied. “The son’s quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village...”

The girl laughed at that, and Morfin went from move from his seat as it sounded like the carriage was about to pass right by the window, and Harry supposed that the lane must wind back around closer to the cottage than he had expected.

 _“Keep your seat,”_ Gaunt warned his son firmly, before Morfin could even get up from the chair, and Harry was actually a little surprised when he did as his father instructed.

“Tom,” the girl said, and Harry was fairly sure that they were right outside at that point, “I might be wrong, but has somebody nailed a snake to that door?”

“Good Lord, you’re right!” the man, who Harry presumed to be Tom, exclaimed in mild horror. “That’ll be the son. I told you he’s not right in the head. Don’t look at it, Cecilia darling.”

 _“Darling,”_ Morfin mocked as the sounds of the carriage became quieter as it moved further away. _“Darling he called her. So he wouldn’t have you anyway,”_ he hissed and Harry realised that the words were directed at the now very faint looking Merope.

 _“What’s that?”_ Gaunt questioned harshly, rounding on his son. _“What did you_ _say, Morfin?”_ he demanded to know

“ _She likes looking at that muggle_ ,” Morfin hissed, looking very pleased with himself. Harry didn't miss the way that he smirked at his sister, before looking back to their father for a moment. _“Always in the garden when he passes, peering through the hedge at him; isn’t she.”_

By this point Merope looked nothing short of terrified, leaning against the wall, as though it was all that was holding her upright as her eyes darted between her brother and her father; however, it seemed her brother was not done throwing her to the wolves.

 _“Hanging out of the window, waiting for him to ride home; wasn’t she,”_ Morfin went on with obvious delight, the harsh sounds of parseltongue making the man's words seem even worse.

 _“Hanging out of the window looking at a muggle?”_ Gaunt hissed quietly. _“Is it true?”_ Gaunt demanded to know as he rounded on his terrified looking daughter, having apparently forgotten Ogden’s presence in the room. _“My daughter... pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin... hankering after a filthy, dirt-veined muggle?”_

The ministry representative was looking completely bewildered and Harry supposed it would be most odd to see the three members of the Gaunt family hissing at each other incomprehensibly. Merope, however, seemed to once again be trying to disappear into the wall behind her, pressing herself against it as she shook her head rapidly.

 _“But I got him father,”_ Morfin cackled happily, a maniacal grin on his face. _“I got him as he went by, and he didn’t look so pretty with hives all over him; did he, Merope?”_ he asked, turning to his sister once more.

That was enough for Gaunt to lose whatever control he had left. “You disgusting little squib, you filthy little blood traitor,” he screamed as he ran towards his daughter, his hand tightening around Merope’s airway.

“No!” Harry yelled at the same time as Ogden, but all chaos had broken out.

Ogden cast ‘relashio’, throwing Gaunt away from his daughter and Morfin was up from his chair, making a hell of a racket, brandishing his wand and knife again. Dumbledore maintained a firm grip on Harry's shoulder, and they watched as Ogden’s resolve seemed to finally crumble and amid the madness he ran.

Harry half wanted to stay, make sure that Merope would survive her father's attack, but this was Bob Ogden's memory and he and Dumbledore had no choice but to follow out of the house and back up the path to the lane. A short distance away, Harry could see Ogden as he collided with the horse of Tom and Cecilia’s carriage.

“I think that will do.” Dumbledore told Harry quietly and with a tug at his elbow, Harry was pulled from the memory, back through the darkness and returned to the Headmaster’s office.

“Merope... what happened...?” Harry demanded, despite the disorientation that he felt at being pulled from the memory so suddenly; he couldn't help but be a little concern that he had just witnessed the last few moments of her life.

“Oh, she lived," Dumbledore said a little dismissively, as he moved around the desk and took a seat in his chair. "Ogden returned with reinforcements shortly after. Both Morfin and his father were subsequently arrested and charged with various crimes; Morfin was given three years and his father, Marvolo, was given six months.”

“Marvolo...? So they were related to Voldemort then?” Harry asked, as he took a seat in the chair that Dumbledore wordlessly summoned for him.

“Indeed,” Dumbledore said, smiling proudly at the teenager across the desk. “I am glad you were keeping up. Marvolo Gaunt was Voldemort’s grandfather; he and his two children, Merope and Morfin were the last of the Gaunt family,” the Headmaster explained. “They were an old wizarding family, which sadly became known for its violence and instability, likely due to the common practice of marrying their own cousins. Their wealth all frivolously spent away, several generations before Marvolo’s own birth.”

“And people wonder why pure-bloods have such a bad reputation....” Harry mumbled under his breath, wondering how many of the other pure-blooded families were simply keeping up a pretence of grandeur, or simply preaching their beliefs out of pure arrogance.

“Quite so, Harry," Dumbledore said with a nod of his head, "though we would be being as prejudiced to assume that all pure-bloods are the same." Harry nodded in agreement to that. "Marvolo, however, had a fierce temper and an exaggerated sense of self-importance," the Headmaster went on, "which he reassured himself of using a pair of heirlooms that he perhaps loved far more than his own children; certainly more than his daughter.”

“Merope... she was Voldemort’s mother...?” Harry asked, already quite sure she was; he was fairly sure that she was the main reason that the Headmaster had shown him the memory. Dumbledore nodded in confirmation, giving the teenager an encouraging smile. “...and Tom, that muggle, the one she had taken a liking to...?” Harry suggested.

“Ah, I was wondering if you would spot that,” Dumbledore said looking pleased. “Yes, that muggle was indeed Voldemort’s father," the Headmaster confirmed, "Tom Riddle Senior.”

“Well I probably shouldn’t be one to scoff at unlikely parings,” Harry said, looking thoughtful, “but how did they end up together?” He just had to ask, because he had rather had the impression in the memory that Tom Riddle Senior had wanted nothing to do with any member of the Gaunt family.

Dumbledore sighed sadly. “I suspect that despite her father’s declarations of her being a squib, Merope may have resorted to magic to get what she wanted," he explained. "We cannot be sure of the exact methods she used, but I am sure you could suggest a few possibilities.”

“Imperious curse," Harry said at once, "or a love potion, perhaps?” he added with a shrug. Dumbledore was right though, it wouldn't have been difficult for a witch to trick a muggle into falling in love with her, or at least into agreeing to be with her.

“Very good,” Dumbledore praised with a nod. “Thought personally I am inclined to believe the latter; however, as I said, we cannot be certain and, in truth, the exact method she employed now matters very little. What we do know, however, is that there was a terrible scandal not more than a few months following the memory we just witnessed, when the squire’s son ran away with the local tramp’s daughter.”

“I can’t imagine that Marvolo took it much better,” Harry said with an amused smirk; he couldn’t help but feel a little proud of Merope for having taken action to escape her personal hell, even if her choice of action had been at best morally questionable, if not outright illegal.

“I would imagine not," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "We can only imagine what his reaction might have been upon returning home to find several inches of dust and a note from his daughter, explaining her absence.” Dumbledore leaned forward slightly. “However, Marvolo did not live long enough to see Morfin finish his sentence.”

“And Merope died..." Harry went on, finding that he really had no sympathy for Marvolo, and was not at all sorry to hear of the man's death. "Voldemort was raised in an orphanage right?”

“Correct again," the Headmaster confirmed. "She died giving birth; however, the time in between is left once more to the depths of our imagination and some intelligent guesswork. It was sometime later that Riddle Senior returned to the village, and various stories of faked pregnancies and tricks were told to explain away his marriage to Merope Gaunt.”

Harry frowned, not sure that he entirely followed. “When she died?” he asked sceptically; he didn't understand why Voldemort would have ended up in an orphanage if that was the case.

“No, I am quite certain that he left her whilst she was pregnant," Dumbledore informed the teenager. "I believe that she likely thought that he would stay for the sake of their child, even without the influence the love potion or whatever she was using, and so decided to stop using them. Tom Riddle Senior, however, did not, and for whatever reasons, returned home; to the best of my knowledge, he never enquired about his son.”

Harry frowned. It seemed to him that all this mess, with so much hatred and death and the nightmare that was Voldemort, might have been avoided completely if a few men had just learned to be good fathers. If Marvolo had been able to love Merope, or if Tom Riddle Senior had cared enough to make sure his son hadn't been left alone in the world, then Lord Voldemort might never have come to be at all.

Harry leaned back in his seat and looked towards a nearby window. It was raining and grey; it felt appropriate for the mood. It was rather a lot to take in and, with his own impending fatherhood, he couldn't understand how these men could treat their children in such a manner.

With a sigh, Harry turned back to Dumbledore, who was watching him patiently. “This is very interesting, sir," the teenager admitted after a few minutes of silent contemplation, "but I fail to see how this helps us.”

“It helps us to understand, Harry," Dumbledore told him, leaning forward on his desk. "It helps us piece together the path of Voldemort’s life, which is of the utmost importance,” the Headmaster insisted pointedly.

Harry looked unconvinced, but nodded anyway. He wasn't sure how understanding Voldemort's life was going to help them defeat him, but Dumbledore was at least giving him information, and he would wait and see where the Headmaster was going with this.

“I think we should leave it here for today,” the Headmaster suggested with an indulgent smile. “I know how tiring exploring someone else’s memory can be, especially for an old man such as myself.”

“Of course, sir,” Harry agreed, pushing himself out of his chair and heading across the office; part of him wanted to demand more answers, but he was eager to get back to his mate, and so for now he would let it go.

“Harry,” Dumbledore called out, as the teenager reached the door, and Harry turned to look at him. “I ask that you do not discuss what I have...”

“I am not keeping it from Draco...” Harry told him bluntly, interrupting Dumbledore before the Headmaster could even suggest that he keep secrets from his mate. “Nor Ron and Hermione,” he added quickly.

Dumbledore stared for a few moments but when Harry stubbornly met his gaze, seemed to realise the futility of the request. The Headmaster sighed, and gave a resigned nod. “I do ask that you do not share this information too freely," he suggested instead. "It would not do, after all, for others to realise how much we know.”

Harry nodded, able to see what the Headmaster meant. “I can manage that,” he promised; and without another word, before Dumbledore could request anything further, he turned and left the office to go in search of his mate.


	17. Exponents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

It didn't take long for Harry to find Draco after his meeting with Dumbledore. His mate was sat at the Slytherin table in the almost entirely empty Great Hall, reading through a book on potions, and, when the submissive looked up and gave him a smile, Harry's foul mood all but evaporated.

“It went well then?” Harry asked as he took a seat next to the blond, leaning in to steal a kiss from his mate as he wrapped his arm around Draco's waist.

“It did," Draco confirmed, leaning into Harry's side, relishing the closeness, despite the fact that they had only been apart for a couple of hours. "I am not suggesting we let my father roam free or anything, but I believe he has no intentions of turning his back on me or our baby. Or Severus,” the blond added with a knowing smirk.

“Oh really?” Harry asked with genuine curiosity, looking rather amused as he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Severus?” he questioned, brushing his fingers over the feathers of Draco's folded wings.

Draco laughed, closing his book to give Harry his full attention. “Thought I would give calling him that a try," the submissive explained. "I can’t keep calling him ‘Professor Snape’ if he is going to be my new step-father. It might just be a bit too weird calling him that though,” he admitted with a thoughtful expression.

"Ahh," Harry said, nodding his understanding; he definitely agreed that it was a bit weird to be calling Snape by his first name. “So they managed to work things out between them at last?” he asked, a little surprised; he had assumed that both Lucius and Snape would be too stubborn for such a thing to happen, but apparently he had been mistaken.

Draco nodded in confirmation. "It certainly seems that way. I think my father is still somewhat in denial about the origin of his feelings," the blond explained. "Though he did at least say that his feelings might not be entirely because of my wings; I wasn’t sure he would ever manage to admit that much to himself, let alone to anyone else."

"You seem pleased," Harry observed, though he wasn't sure what reaction he had expected from his mate to such a development.

"Hmm," Draco hummed in agreement. "Their attraction to each other was sort of an open secret in our family for as long as I can remember, but I don't think any of us ever believed that they would have a chance to act on it.”

“Eww!" Harry exclaimed, the combination of his mate's words with having seen the potions master in his dressing gown earlier that day was leading him to some disturbing conclusions. "Nope, nope, bad mental images...” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as thought it would help rid him of the thoughts.

“Yeah,” Draco said, chuckling slightly. He was rather amused by his mate's reaction though the moment that those images registered in his own mind, he started to look a little ill himself.

“I am happy for them," Harry told him, not wanting Draco to think he was against Snape and Lucius' relationship, "but...eww,” he repeated, cringing at the thought of the two men together.

“Well just be glad that one of them isn’t your father," Draco pointed out, flexing his wings and snuggling more tightly into Harry's side. "It isn’t exactly something I want to picture either,” he pointed out. "So how was your meeting?" the blond asked, keen to change the subject.

More than willing to go along with the new topic, Harry glanced around to make sure there was no-one else nearby and cast the muffliato charm as an extra precaution. "He showed me a memory," Harry told him, "the memory of a man called Ogden..."

-#-

Draco had listened closely as Harry told him all about what Dumbledore had shown him, the dominant having described it all as best he could. Unexpectedly, Draco found the whole story rather fascinating, though he had also been disturbed by how Merope's father had treated her; it had been enough to make him swear that their own child would grow up safe and loved.

"Absolutely," Harry had agreed without hesitation and the dominant had quickly stolen a kiss, his fingers brushing over Draco's still flat belly for a few moments, before going on with the story.

“Well that all makes sense and was interesting," the blond said, once Harry had stopped talking, and he looked to the dominant with a slightly puzzled expression, "but I don’t really understand how knowing this helps us defeat him.” To him it seemed to just be a rather long winded way of explaining and understanding a few small details of Voldemort's past.

“I said the same thing, but Dumbledore is insisting it is important," Harry told him with a shrug, still feeling inclined to agree with his mate despite the Headmaster's assurances. "I can only hope he starts explaining things in more depth whenever it is that he decides he is ready to talk again.”

“He might be the Headmaster, and arguably a genius, but that man has some serious control issues,” Draco grumbled, a disapproving frown on his face. He was pleased that Dumbledore was apparently trying to let Harry in on what he knew, but it wasn't enough in his opinion.

“Agreed.” Harry said with a laugh, thinking that 'control issues' might be an understatement. “Oh, and I almost forgot," he added, breaking into a grin, "Dumbledore has asked Tonks to come here and act as our security, under the pretence of teaching Defence, of course. He has requested Professor Lupin comes back here to help too.”

“Tonks? As in my cousin, the Auror?” Draco asked with a pensive expression; he knew of her, but he had never actually met her. “And why Professor Lupin?” he asked with curiosity; he remembered the professor well from a few years before, but he wasn't sure why Lupin would return now; he personally wouldn't have thought that bringing a werewolf into the castle was the best way to protect their family.

“Oh right, yeah, I forgot that she is your cousin," Harry said with a nod of his head, "and he asked them because they’re both with the Order,” he explained, realising just how little Draco actually knew about their side of the war. "Plus Professor Lupin was one of my dad’s best friends; I trust them both.”

“Well, if nothing else, it will mean that Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons should improve,” Draco said, not entirely convinced that having two members of the Order of the Phoenix was actually going to do very much  to improve his and Harry's safety. “Not sure who thought using a different Auror each week would be a good idea, but...”

“I know, hasn’t been working at all,” Harry agreed, when Draco trailed off. “Pretty sure I haven’t learned anything new at all this year.”

-#-

With things somewhat more settled between Draco and Lucius, and with Dumbledore apparently not ready to share anymore of his secrets, Harry and Draco spent most of the next few days working on the various pieces of homework they had so far managed to ignore for the duration of the holidays. The time went quickly though, and it seemed like no time before the other students were returning to the school.

“Harry,” Ron called out happily as he, Hermione, Blaise, Pansy, Vince and Greg came into the Great Hall with the other returning students, heading for where Harry and Draco were sat at the Slytherin table. “Why you sitting over here?” the red-head asked with a frown as he reached them, looking up and down the table in confusion.

“There were fewer Slytherins here than Gryffindors over the holidays," Harry explained with a shrug of his shoulders, as Pansy, Blaise, Vince and Greg took their seats around them. "We sort of got used to sitting here.” Truthfully he hadn't even thought twice about it before following his boyfriend to what had become their usual seats.

Ron and Hermione, however, were looking decidedly awkward as the two of them remained standing; Ron was casting occasional almost longing glances towards their classmates across the room, and Hermione seemed thoughtful.

“Well are you planning on sitting down?" Draco asked, leaning into his mate's side, as he smirked in amusement at Harry's two best friends. "Or is the idea of sitting at our table scary enough that you think you might need to make a run for it? I thought you Gryffindors were supposed to be brave.”

Hermione sighed and gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, taking a seat next to Pansy without another word but Ron looked less than sure of himself. Shuffling his feet slightly and biting his bottom lip as he thought about it, he glanced over at their usual table once more.

“Oh for heaven's sake, Ron," Hermione said with exasperation, tugging on his sleeve. "Sit down,” she commanded. The group all chuckled and sniggered at him when he quickly obeyed, taking a seat at the Slytherin table next to Hermione, opposite Harry and Draco.

Harry reached across the table and patted Ron's hand in mock sympathy. "There, there, it'll be okay," he said with an amused grin, causing the red-head to scowl at him a little bit, but that only made Slytherins chuckle again.

“Weasley,” Blaise said, getting Ron’s attention, “is there a reason your sister is staring daggers at all of us, even worse than usual?” he asked, nodding his head towards the Ginny, who was sat at the Gryffindor table with several others from her year.

Ron, Hermione, Greg and Pansy, who had their backs towards the Gryffindor table, turned, as the whole group looked to see what Blaise was talking about. It was quickly apparently to all of them, as soon as they spotted Ginny, that the Slytherin was right; Ginny had her eyes glued on the group of them but they widened and she quickly turned away when she realised she had been caught.

Ron just shrugged; Ginny's behaviour was a little odd, but he didn't think that it was anything to be worried about. “It's probably just because she is itching to talk to Harry," he said dismissively, turning back around to give Harry a sympathetic smile. "She found out about them over Christmas,” he added with a nod of his head towards Harry and Draco, when some of the others looked confused.

"I'll try to talk to her later," Harry said with a sigh, not looking forward to that conversation at all; he just hoped that Ginny was actually going to be as reasonable and understanding as Ron's letter had implied. Ron nodded, and Hermione gave Harry a smile of approval.

“What were you doing watching girl Weasley anyway, Blaise?” Pansy asked with an amused smirk after a few seconds, and the eyes of the group moved to the Slytherin in question.

“I wasn’t _watching_ her,” Blaise said defensively, though from the knowing looks the others were giving him, he thought he might have answered with a little too insistently and perhaps a bit too quickly. Harry and Draco seemed to be fighting not to laugh and both Hermione and Ron were watching him with narrowed, calculating eyes, the latter's seeming far less friendly.

“Why _were_ you watching my sister, Zabini?” Ron demanded to know, his voice cold and full of suspicion. It wasn't the first time that he had got the impression that Blaise might have more than a passing interest in Ginny.

“I said that I WASN’T watching her, Weasley,” Blaise pointed out with exasperation, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Ron's over-protective reaction. The others around him weren't looking convinced either and Draco, particularly, was wearing a very knowing expression.

“He was so watching her,” Vince whispered loudly to Greg across the table, causing Ron to scowl, but the others to chuckle quietly.

“Oh, shut it, Vince,” Blaise snapped a little bitterly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was trying very hard not to pout; he kind of liked their new Gryffindor friends, but he wasn't so fond of them at the moment, not now that everyone seemed to be ganging up on him.

“Yeah... well just don’t get any ideas, Zabini,” Ron warned him a little feebly.

“Harry,” someone said, interrupting the banter, and the group turned to look up to see softly smiling face of Remus Lupin, who was stood just behind Harry and Draco.

“Professor,” Harry greeted with obvious delight, a grin breaking out on his face as he practically jumped up from his seat to hug the werewolf. Remus didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the teenager and hug him back. “You actually came,” Harry said as he released the man from his grip, unable to stop smiling.

“Of course," Remus said, glancing around at the group that Harry was sat with; it was apparent that things had changed a great deal since he had been at Hogwarts last. "Dumbledore seemed to think you needed my help, but he wouldn’t really explain much.”

“Yeah, that man is good at not explaining,” Draco grumbled quietly.

Harry rested a hand on his mate's shoulder, but kept his attention on Remus. “Don’t worry, for once I actually didn’t want him to tell you everything," he explained to his father's friend. "This is something that it is probably best you heard from me.”

“Well looks like there is lots to explain,” Remus commented, not having missed the contact between Harry and Draco, his eyes lingering for a moment on the blond’s wings. “I certainly didn’t expect you to be sitting here," he said gesturing to the Slytherin table, "nor with present company.”

“It is all related," Harry told him, "it is kind of a long story. Maybe we could all explain it to you together,” he suggested, gesturing to those around him. “We have already had to go over it quite a few times now, so it would probably be easier with some assistance,” he suggested, looking at the group of their friends, who were already nodding their agreement.

“Okay, well how about we find somewhere quiet to talk after dinner?” Lupin suggested, hoping that Harry wasn't going to try and put of their conversation any longer, because he had a lot of burning questions. “I am sure Dumbledore would happily lend us his office.”

Harry gave Draco a pointed look before the blond could say anything, and the submissive snapped his jaw shut and returned the look with full force.

“Perhaps _not_ Dumbledore’s office,” Harry said, his voice deepening and a pensive frown on his face; he felt a moment of regretful sadness when he realised that his trust in the old man had fallen so far, but shook it off as he turned back to Remus.

“Okay, you are going to have to explain what that look was about too,” Remus insisted with a pensive expression, looking between Harry and Draco. "But after dinner," he added, as more students continued to take their seats in the Great Hall, including a group of second year Slytherins close by.

“I will, I promise,” Harry assured him. He hugged the man quickly again before returning to his seat next to Draco when he saw the Headmaster getting up from the large chair in the middle of the head table.

He watched as the werewolf headed up the length of the hall; Remus glanced back over his shoulder, towards Harry, still looking thoughtful even as he gave the teenager a warm smile. He took a seat at the head table next to Tonks, who had a head of bright pink hair and was giving Harry a joyful wave across the room.

“Welcome back to you all," the Headmaster said in a carrying voice, from his podium at the front of the room, the chatter of conversations around the room trailing off into a respectful silence. "I sincerely hope that you have all made the most of your time off, and over-indulged to your heart’s desire, and are now ready to fill your heads with knowledge once more. And so, I will keep you no longer. Enjoy,” Dumbledore declared happily, waving his arms as the tables became covered with plates of various foods and jugs of juice and water.

“What are Professor Lupin and Tonks doing here?” Hermione asked Harry quietly, leaning across the table once everyone started helping themselves to dinner, the students all around them launching back into their own conversations.

“They're here to keep me safe and make sure Harry doesn’t recklessly throw himself into the most dangerous situation he can find,” Draco told her casually before Harry had a chance to answer, helping himself to the food in front of him.

“They are going to be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts as well,” Harry amended, glaring at Draco.

“That’s great!” Hermione declared enthusiastically, now helping herself to some dinner as well. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I only found out a few days ago, Hermione,” Harry told her with fond exasperation. “Besides, are you happy because my family has increased protection or because you get decent teachers for Defence?” he asked with a knowing smile.

Hermione flushed guiltily. “I _am_ glad that they are going to keep you guys safe," she insisted, causing Ron to snort in amusement. "Of course I am,” she reiterated, hitting the red-head lightly with the back of her hand.

“Hermione...” Harry said, reaching across to squeeze her hand lightly, “... I was joking.”

She let out a huffy breath, glaring at Pansy, Draco and Blaise, who were chuckling quietly.

"Just focus on the excellent Defence lessons we will have this term," Harry suggested with an unrepentant grin, and Ron tutted affectionately at his best friends before returning his full attention to the meal at hand.

-#-

Tonks leaned forward towards Draco, eyeing him critically. “So you’re really pregnant?” she asked a little sceptically for the third time in about ten minutes.  

Harry and Draco were sat in the securely warded Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom surrounded by their closest friends, and they had just finished explaining the situation to Tonks and Remus. The young Auror had been invited along to avoid the need to repeat the information to her later; Draco had also wanted to be sure that the information that Dumbledore had given to her was accurate.

“Yes,” Draco repeated, a bit impatiently; he was still not really used to people talking about the child he was carrying, and his cousin's continued incredulity was putting him somewhat on edge. "Trust me, I am not keeping these out all the time by choice," he added, gesturing to his own wings, spreading them out to their full size.

Tonks let out a low, impressed whistle at the sight of them, and Pansy shuffled her seat just a little bit further away from Draco, so as to not risk getting brushed by the wings; she was not keen to repeat her previous experience with them. Remus' attention, however, was on Harry.

“Why didn’t you send me a letter telling me all of this?” Remus asked the teenager; there was a definite hint of sadness in his voice, and seemed disappointed that Harry hadn’t trusted him enough to come to him when it had all happened.

“Yes, because Harry sending you a letter explaining their inheritance, the pregnancy and how now Draco is his greatest weakness would be a great idea," Pansy pointed out derisively. "There would be no way that You-Know-Who getting his hands on that could end badly,” she added sarcastically.

"Pansy...!" Hermione exclaimed, looking horrified; she was clearly shocked by the way that the Slytherin was talking to the professor.

“No, it's okay, Hermione," Remus interrupted, before the two girls could start anything. "Miss Parkinson actually makes an excellent point," he conceded, giving Pansy a small nod. "This is not about me or Tonks, it is about keeping Harry and Draco safe."

“So you will stay and help Tonks?” Harry asked the older man hopefully.

“Of course," Remus responded without hesitation, looking a little surprised that the teenager had even needed that much confirmation. "Harry, I would do a great deal to keep you safe; you might not know me particularly well, but I have known you since you were a baby. I loved your parents very much, and, by extension, you,” he told him with conviction, before turning to Draco. “And now that you are mated to Draco, here, I will do everything in my power to keep him and your child safe too.”

Harry was grinning, and reached out to take Draco's hand in his own, just needing that contact with his mate in that moment. He had been worried that Remus wouldn't approve of their relationship, or would want to protect him rather than Draco and their child, but his concerns felt rather foolish now in the light of the professor's complete acceptance.

“Thank you, I really do appreciate that,” Draco said earnestly. “I don’t know what threat there is to us here, in the castle, but it is somewhat reassuring to have someone on our side none the less; or rather a couple of someones,” he corrected with a nod at Tonks.

“Hey, you’re family, Draco," Tonks told him happily with a shrug of her shoulders, grinning as she turned her hair platinum blonde. "Maybe we can actually get to know each other, now that our mothers aren’t keeping us apart,” she suggested.

"I think I would quite like that," Draco agreed, though seemingly a little thrown by Tonks' sudden change of hair colour. He had heard about metamorphmagi, and knew that his cousin was one but it was still pretty incredible to witness her transform herself with such ease.

“And if nothing else we can keep you away from the ministry’s clutches," the young Auror added with a determined look, turning her hair to a fiery red. "They have insisted I pass them any information I can get about you two. They know something is going on. Not that I would, of course," she added hastily at the looks of concern that several of the teenagers gave her. "Your secrets are safe with me.”

“Thanks, Tonks.” Harry said gratefully, relaxing back into his chair a little with relief; however, a second later he said bolt upright once more. “Wait, does that mean that they were getting the other Aurors who were teaching before to spy on us?” he asked, looking rather alarmed at the prospect.

Tonks nodded, giving them a wry smile. “I believe they may have been," she told them. "I can’t be certain, as I was never involved in the teaching rotation going on here, but given they asked me when they agreed to assign me here, I would say it is a pretty safe bet that they asked the others too."

"Well that's not ideal," Blaise commented, with a look of mild concern; the others in the room made various noises and gestures in agreement with the Slytherin's understatement.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they have already figured out that you are Erotes, and what that means in terms of the relationship between the two of you," Tonks told them bluntly. "But given they aren’t acting on the information...” she said, letting her voice trail of as she shrugged her shoulders.

“I know," Harry said with a sigh. "Nothing we can really do about it either way. And quite honestly, if they aren’t giving the information to the papers or spreading it around then I don’t think we really care what they know,” he added with a shrug, turning to Draco for confirmation.

"They know what they know," the blond said bluntly. "It isn't as though we can go in and obliviate a whole load of Aurors," he pointed out. "Well... we could, but let's save that as a last resort," he added with a cheeky smirk.

Harry glared at his mate for a moment before turning back to Tonks. “It is only if they start giving Draco crap or putting us in danger that we are going to have issues," Harry told her firmly, knowing that that would set of his protective instincts. "But I would be grateful if you didn’t go telling them anything, just in case they haven’t worked out what is going on."

"Of course," Tonks promised.

-#-

“I can’t believe I am going to miss out on the apparition lessons,” Draco said sulkily as he headed towards the Great Hall with Harry, Pansy and Blaise for breakfast a couple of days later.

“Well at least you are a quick study, Draco," Pansy pointed out consolingly. "You can start practicing as soon as they baby is born and I am sure you will be ready to take the test at some point during the summer."

“Maybe we can even take it at the same time," Harry suggested, linking his fingers with his mate's and giving him a warm smile. "I won’t be able to take the test till then anyway, because I won’t be old enough," he pointed out when Draco turned to look up at him.

“True..." Draco said slowly, giving that serious consideration. "I suppose I wouldn’t have been able to take the test until June anyway; though it would have been nice to learn with the rest of you."

“I know, Love,” Harry told him, placing a small kiss to his temple. “I’m sorry.” He knew that strictly speaking it wasn't his fault that they had ended up in their current situation, but given it was his child that was excluding Draco from the lessons, he couldn't deny that he did feel a little guilty.

“Harry!” a female voice called out.

Instinctively he turned at the sound of his name and saw Ginny hurrying along the corridor towards him. Draco stopped and turned with his boyfriend when he felt Harry’s hand pull on his; his wings flexed and he let a deep rumbling noise of complaint build in his throat at the sight of the red-head heading their way.

“We will see you in a bit,” Pansy called out, from a little further ahead, where she and Blaise had paused to wait for the other two, before linking her arm through Blaise’s and starting to drag him off in the direction of the Great Hall once more. “I am definitely too hungry to wait around and hear what She-Weasel wants,” she added more quietly to Blaise.

“Pansy…” Blaise grumbled, scowling at girl next to him, glancing back at Harry and Draco, who were now stood with Ginny Weasley.

“What?” Pansy asked, in mock innocence, but when Blaise turned to glare at her again, she folded with a sigh. “Fine, I will be nice,” she agreed, “but I honestly don’t get what you see in her. Either way, breakfast now,” she added enthusiastically.

-#-

“Harry, can we talk?” Ginny asked once she caught up with him. She noted that, while Parkinson and Zabini were leaving, Draco was stubbornly staying firmly by Harry’s side, his purple wings an impressive sight when spread out behind him.

“Sure.” Harry agreed, sounding apprehensive, but not making any move to leave, waiting patiently to hear what she had to say. He was hopeful that Ginny might be here to fix things between them, to accept how things were, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath.

“Erm...,” Ginny hummed, her eyes flitting nervously to Draco, who was standing far closer to Harry’s side than she liked, and she was vaguely aware that their hands were intertwined. “In private?” she requested hesitantly.

Harry’s brow furrowed and he opened his mouth, ready to tell her exactly what he thought of that suggestion, but Draco lightly tugged on his hand getting his attention. He turned to look at his boyfriend curiously, ignoring the unimpressed expression on Ginny’s face when his attention was so easily diverted from her.

“It’s fine, go talk,” Draco said softly, glancing passed Harry to throw Ginny a smug look, before returning his full attention to his boyfriend. “I will see you in class,” the blond told Harry, pulling him down by his tie to give him a not entirely chaste kiss. “Maybe go talk in the kitchens or at least get Dobby to bring breakfast to wherever it is you go,” he suggested, as he straightened Harry’s robes. “I don’t want to have to listen to your rumbling stomach all morning,” Draco told him, gently poking a finger into Harry’s belly.

Harry chuckled affectionately. “Yes, boss,” he teased quietly, leaning in for another quick kiss before letting his boyfriend leave. He couldn’t help but watch the blond walking away, admiring his boyfriend’s attractive body, including the large wings which were once again folded back behind his back.

 “Don’t be late for lessons,” Draco called back over his shoulder. As he did so, he caught Harry checking him out, and so the blond was wearing a rather pleased smirk when he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

Harry turned back to Ginny, trying to pretend that his cheeks weren’t a little flushed. “Kitchens?” he suggested with an awkward smile, not knowing quite how to deal with the expression on Ginny’s face; it seemed to be made up of equal parts confusion about and distaste for the interaction she had just witnessed.

“I suppose,” she agreed begrudgingly, as though it hadn’t been _her_ that had wanted to talk to _him_ in the first place, and gestured for Harry to lead the way.

Harry sighed quietly, and started walking. He had known this conversation was coming ever since the day Ron had sent him the letter telling him that Ginny knew about him and Draco being Erotes, and he had been dreading it; not that he was about to let Ginny see that. He was at least a little bit grateful that Draco wasn’t there, because his boyfriend had a remarkable talent for rubbing Weasleys up the wrong way; this conversation was going to be difficult enough as it was, without Draco exacerbating the situation.

“You know Draco only agreed to let us talk so easily so that he would seem like the good guy in all this, right?” Ginny said a little snappily, as she followed him down the corridor in the direction of the kitchens. “And did you have to kiss him like that?” she added quickly, as Harry stopped walking to turn and glare at her.

“Excuse me?” Harry exclaimed in surprise, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “Firstly, I wasn’t aware that when it came to my family and friends that there were good and bad guys,” he told her derisively; he could feel his temper rising and felt a small surge of glee as Ginny took half a step back from him.

“And secondly," Harry went on with determination, "whether or not I kiss Draco is absolutely _none_ of your business," he all but shouted at her, his finger pointed at her in accusation. He was vaguely aware of several other students watching them, but he didn't care. "He is my boyfriend, I love him, and I will kiss him when I want to. If you don’t like it, then that is your problem.”

The corridor was full of a tense silence, the other students waiting to see what would happen next and neither Harry or Ginny knowing what else to say. Harry felt ready to storm away, hopefully leaving Ginny to feel guilty about what she had said, though he didn’t actually hold out much hope for that, given her attitude. He had wanted to give her a chance but if she couldn't even be respectful of his relationship, then he was done trying to be reasonable with her.

“Harry, wait,” she gasped out, hurriedly reaching out and gripping his wrist as he started to turn from her, causing him to stop. Harry's eyes were filled with what she suspected was disappointment when they met hers and it nearly broke her heart; she only wanted... But Ginny cut herself off mid-thought, trying to work out what it was that she actually wanted.

Only a few minutes ago she had been completely certain that all she wanted was just for Harry to be happy; however, she couldn't help but think that he actually _had_ seemed happy with Draco, at least from what she could tell. But there was just something about the idea of Harry actually wanting to spend his life with Draco made her insides squirm uncomfortably. Yes, she did honestly want Harry to have everything in his life, but she wanted him to have it with her, and she felt awful for even thinking that.

“Can... can we still go talk?" she requested quietly, her hand still on Harry's wrist as she gave him the most pleading look she could manage. "I promise to... to try not to be a bitch about everything,” she finished a little pathetically, giving him a wry smile.

Harry frowned at her, and pulled his wrist free of her hold, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought it over. He really didn’t want to and at this point felt sure that the two of them talking more would only serve to destroy what little there was left of the connection between them, and likely complicate things with the Weasley family.

He had hoped that with the knowledge of his inheritance Ginny would be able to accept his situation, but that hope seemed to have been in vain and now he just wanted to walk away from it all. However, there was something stopping him, a need to hear her out and a determination to try everything he could to make things right between them. 

“Fine,” he said coldly, though he didn't even wait for her as he turned and headed towards to kitchens again. “What?” he snapped at the students who were standing staring at them both. He hated that they felt entitled to his life story, but did feel somewhat guilty at the panicked expressions that many of them were suddenly wearing; his snappishness was effective though because the corridor cleared quickly as they hurried on their way.

He had been in a fairly good mood before Ginny had asked to speak to him, but was now feeling quite miserable and a stone’s throw from actually sulking. He knew what the Hogwarts rumour mill was like and he was sure that the news of Harry Potter yelling at Ginny Weasley would be all over the castle in no time; that he had yelled at her that he loved Draco was only likely to make the news travel faster still.

He cursed himself and his big mouth silently, resolutely ignoring Ginny, who was following just a few paces behind him. He had meant what he said, of course, he did love Draco, and he supposed that it wasn't really any great secret and obvious to anyone who had seem them together in the last month or so, but it still bothered him that he and his boyfriend would be being talked about again; and it had started as such a nice morning.

“Mister Harry Potter!" a squeaky voice exclaimed as soon as Harry stepped through the doorway into the kitchen, and Harry managed a half smile at the sight of Dobby rushing over towards him. "What can I be getting you and Miss Weasley, sir?” the house elf asked excitedly.

“Just some breakfast, whatever you have around is fine,” Harry told him a little dismissively. He didn't mean to be quite so rude to the house elf, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with Dobby's enthusiasm, and truthfully wasn't all that hungry. Dobby didn't seem to have even notice, and hurried off towards the other end of the kitchen.

Harry dropped himself heavily onto a wooden bench that was alongside one of the long tables, barely glancing at Ginny as she took a seat across from him. She looked a little nervous, and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and the two of them sat in a rather awkward silence for the few moments it took Dobby to return.

The house elf quickly filled the table in front of them with dishes of eggs, sausages, toast, grilled tomatoes, fruit and bacon, and then added a large jug of juice, before summoning plates, goblets and cutlery for both of them with a click of his fingers. It was quite an impressive breakfast and Harry managed a small smile at the elf in thanks, even knowing that they weren't going to be able to get through much of it.

“You wanted to talk, so talk,” Harry demanded impatiently, as he started to serve himself some breakfast from the various dishes; with the trouble that the little elf had gone to, he was at least going to try and eat properly. He looked her expectantly, as he took a bite from a piece of toast, watching as she seemed to struggle to find the words; however, he wasn’t going to make this easy for her.

“I know what you are,” she managed to say after a few moments, picking up the jug and filling her own goblet. She spoke softly, choosing to focus on her drink and empty plate rather than even try to meet Harry's eye.

“I know, Ron told me,” Harry replied bluntly. He had planned on being open and honest with her about everything, and he still kind of planned to be really, but she was going to have to work for it now.

“Oh, right... of course,” Ginny said, realising that it made sense that Ron would have written to Harry after the conversation that the two of them had had. However, she wasn't really sure what else to say.

Harry was starting to feel a bit bad for her; he was still hurt by her remarks about Draco but he didn't really know what else to say either. He was already here, talking to her willingly, despite how she had treated him lately, and so he really did think this was going to have to be up to her to make things right.

“So it is true then? You’re really both Erotes?" Ginny asked, finally looking up from the goblet that she was cradling in her hands, and meeting Harry's eyes. "That's why you and Malfoy are together?”

Harry sighed, pouring himself some juice too. “Yes, we are both Erotes and I suppose that is why we got together," he confirmed, but when Ginny started to smile at him, he raised a hand, knowing he needed to explain. "But you have to understand," he told her firmly, "that we do honestly love each other.”

Ginny's face fell, staring at him incredulously. “But why...?” she whined, crossing her arms over her chest.

Harry almost laughed; it was such a childish moment, such a childish question and she sounded like she was actually sulking, looked like it too. "Because when Draco’s submissive Erote called for a dominant, I was the most compatible in the area,” he explained. Harry couldn’t help his small smile at the memory of that night.

"No, I mean, why do you love him?" Ginny asked, still looking sceptical.

“I just do, Ginny," Harry said with a sigh. "Whatever magic is behind pairing up a dominant and submissive Erote, it knew what it was doing; because apparently it was right about us being compatible. We work well together, we understand each other," he told her, really hoping she could understand that. "I am not asking you to be happy about this, Ginny, but I am telling you that you will have to accept it because I am never letting him go; we're a family now.”

“So is that bit true too?" Ginny asked, leaning forward on the table. "You know, about... erm...” she went on, her voice quiet as though worried that someone might overhear, even though they were alone apart from the house elves, but she was apparently struggling to get the words out. “Is Malfoy actually pregnant?” she managed to ask after a few seconds.

Harry actually laughed at the look on her face, having not really anticipated such a reaction; Draco's pregnancy was such a normal thing to him now but she looked both fascinated and slightly sickened by the concept. Ginny scowled at him though, clearly not happy about being laughed at, and so Harry shook off his amusement and calmed himself.

“Yes, Draco is pregnant,” he confirmed and he was honestly having to put serious effort into not looking too smug about that, but the knowledge that their child was growing inside Draco’s belly made his Erote puff up with pride.

The way that Ginny was looking at him though, made him think that he hadn't managed to keep some of that from his face. “You are really happy with him?” she asked softly, sounding somewhat sceptical , but also looking resigned to the reality of it.

“I am,” Harry told her firmly, “very happy." He gave her a sympathetic smile, glad that it finally seemed to be sinking in, but knowing that it was hard for her to hear. "I have a family, Ginny,” he told her, unable to keep the expression of joy from his face when he said that.

“You already did, Harry,” she told him with a small frown.

Harry sighed. “I know what you mean, but...” He paused, trying to think how to explain the difference to a girl who had grown up with more family than she knew what to do with. “I love your family, I honestly do, but you guys aren’t really _my_ family.”

“We could have been,” Ginny said sadly, the longing clear in her voice. “Sorry..." she added as soon as she realised what she had said, "I shouldn’t have...”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Harry interrupted hastily before she could even start to try to explain herself. He wasn’t sure how he would feel about her vocalising the affections they both knew she had for him, so he thought it was just better to avoid going down that road at all. “I am not asking you to change how you feel," Harry tried to explain. "I am just asking you to not ask me to change how I feel. Does that make sense?”

 Ginny gave a small laugh. “Yeah, surprisingly it does,” she told him.

"I can never give you what you want," Harry told her firmly. “But can we manage to be friends?” he asked nervously, hopefully.

She paused, and Harry was glad to see she was genuinely thinking it over, rather than simply saying that they could to, just to keep him in her life. “I would like to try to be, she told him after a few minutes. “I mean, we managed to get along well enough all these years," she pointed out. "I don’t like seeing you with Malfoy, but apparently I'm going to have to get used to that sooner or later.”

Harry smiled, and, for the first time since Ginny had upset him in the corridor, it reached his eyes. The Weasleys might not have been his actual family but he had meant it when he said that he loved them; he definitely wasn’t ready to face a world without them and if Ginny had been unable to work past this then that would have potentially caused a terrible rift.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ginny,” he told her earnestly, reaching across the table and gripping her hand lightly, “that was never my intention. I know you don’t approve of Draco, but just give him a chance. I think you might even be able to like some of his friends,” he added with a hint of amusement, as he thought of Blaise.

Ginny scoffed her disbelief of that idea. “They are Slytherins, Harry,” she pointed out as if that changed everything.

“And...” Harry challenged defiantly.

“Well... I dunno," Ginny admitted with a puzzled expression, thinking hard for a minute. "They are all on _his_ side, they are all up to something,” she insisted, waving her arms around as though she could summon this great truth for Harry to see.

“They AREN’T all on his side, Ginny!" Harry told her with frustration, knowing that he probably would have agreed with her only six months earlier. "Things are complicated, but _please_ just give them a chance,” he begged her, knowing that she could either make things easier or much harder for him and Draco.

She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. “Fine," she agreed hesitantly, "but I am doing this for your sake. I don’t trust them.”

“Noted,” he told her, not really surprised that it was going to take more than just his word to convince her. “Now we really have to go or we will both be late for class," he said, realising that their conversation had taken longer than he had planned, and neither of them had really eaten much at all.

Ginny nodded in agreement, as they both got to their feet, downing their goblets of juice and grabbing the toast from their plates, Harry quickly taking a bite from one end of a sausage. "I really do what to be your friend," Ginny told him, as they hurried out of the kitchen.

"Then I am sure we will be fine," Harry told her, squeezing her hand quickly, and giving her a wave as she headed towards the greenhouses for Herbology. His heart was definitely feeling lighter now, as he headed towards his own class, glad to have Ginny’s evident acceptance of the situation.


	18. Enceinte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Harry and Draco had settled into their first week back in classes with relative ease, and they both felt that they were somehow more in tune with each other than they had been prior to the holidays.

Even Pansy and Hermione had both commented on how the two of them seemed to have grown closer, something Harry and Draco were sure was because they had taken their relationship to the next level; not that was anyone else's business. Fortunately, the two girls seemed to be just assuming it was due to all the time that the two boys had had together over the holidays, and neither of them was complaining.

But Ron was. "You always sit with Malfoy now," the red-head grumbled, when Harry suggested to him that he go and sit with Hermione in Charms as Harry was going to sit with Draco, who had yet to turn up.

"Yes, that is because he is my boyfriend, Ron," Harry snapped back quickly under his breath, turning to go take a seat at the desk that he and Draco would usually share.

Ron reached out and pulled on Harry's sleeve before he could take more than a step. "And you're _MY_ best friend," the red-head reminded him. "One of my best friends," he amended when he noticed Hermione's frown. "You are allowed to sit next to people other than Malfoy, you know. The two of you can spend the rest of your lives sitting next to each other."

Harry sighed and rubbed a hand over his own eyes; he couldn't deny that Ron had a point. Harry knew he hadn't been spending as much time with his friends as they deserved, he knew they missed him, and it wasn't like Ron was asking for much but the need to be as close to Draco as possible whenever he could was instinctive.

"Yeah, okay, you're right," Harry conceded, ignoring what felt like his Erote brain sulking. Hermione gave him a proud smile, as he start to pull out his books, parchment and quill and set them out on the desk, next to Ron's things. "You don't mind, do you, Hermione?" Harry asked, as she moved to his and Draco's usual desk, as Harry had stolen her seat, and was now unpacking her stuff there.

"No, I don't mind," she reassured him with a warm smile. “Unlike Ron, I don’t need to sit next to my friends to feel secure in our friendships,” she added teasingly, looking almost smug, as she took a seat at her new desk, and turned around so she could keep talking with her best friends.

“I’m not insecure,” Ron muttered, a slight flush on his cheeks as he took his own seat. “I just missed my friend,” he defended, wondering if he might have overreacted, and if he should have left Harry to sit with Draco, but Harry was already smiling at him in reassurance.

"Hi," Draco greeted as he approached Harry, who had just sat down next to Ron. Even though they had only been apart for one class, he didn't hesitate to give his mate a quick kiss, running his fingers through Harry's perpetually messy locks.

"Hi, yourself," Harry said with a grin, as Draco pulled back and smirked at him. "Erm... I said I would sit with Ron today," he explained nervously, hoping that Draco wouldn't take it as some personal insult.

"Sure; I will just sit with Granger," the blond said casually as he stole another quick kiss from his mate, before moving to start unpacking his stuff onto the desk next to Hermione, as though it was something he did all the time. "She is probably less distracting to sit next to anyway; less likely to start groping me," he added giving Harry a wink over his shoulder.

Harry and Ron both nearly choked on their own tongues at that but Pansy and Blaise, who were taking their seats at the table next to Hermione and Draco's, laughed loudly; Hermione just frowned in mild disapproval.

"At least I hope she won't start groping me," Draco added with mock fear, looking to the bushy-haired Gryffindor.

"I promise not to touch you, Malfoy. Just take a seat already," Hermione told him, rolling her eyes in a very poor attempt at hiding her amusement.

"Good, good," Draco said, throwing another smirk at Harry over his shoulder before looking back to Hermione with a serious expression as he took his seat, "because, Granger, you are not exactly my type."

Hermione actually looked hurt at that, gaping at him for a few seconds, before steeling herself and glaring at him with cold eyes. "Well you don't have to sit next to me if you think my dirty blood is catching," she snapped.

Draco sneered slightly, and there was a heavy tension all around them, the others waiting to see what the blond would say to that, Harry looking particularly concerned. "I was actually talking about you being all curvy and squishy and with... girly parts," Draco informed her bluntly, waving his hand in her general direction; he was looking rather annoyed, and somewhat unwell at the idea of Hermione's more intimate anatomy.

"Oh..." Hermione said softly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the misunderstanding between them, and the assumptions she had made about Draco. "Sorry," she said earnestly, not sure what else she really could say.

Harry half wanted to laughed at the pair of them, particularly Draco's description of Hermione as curvy and squishy, but he was so worried that they might be about to destroy the fragile peace that they had all grown used to over the last few months. He was painfully aware of how lucky he had been so far, and how much more difficult things could be if his two best friends and his mate took issue with each other.

"Girly parts?" Pansy asked with amusement, breaking the tension that was hanging between them all. "Honestly, Draco, do you have to look so disgusted by the very idea? I'm kind of offended," Pansy said with a sigh of mock hurt. "But well at least there is no doubting your sexuality," she added, when Draco turned to glare at her.

"I am so glad we cleared that up because that was definitely something I was worried about," Harry told them sarcastically with a roll of his eyes and chuckling a little, now that it seemed that things were going to be okay between them.

"Really, dear?" Draco asked, as he turned around to lean on Harry and Ron's desk and exaggeratedly fluttered his eyes at his mate as he spoke with clearly faked innocence. "I thought letting you screw me yesterday was a pretty big clue," he said a little more quietly, breaking into a huge grin.

"MALFOY!" Ron exclaimed in complete horror, Harry exclaiming "DRACO!" at just the same moment, a red flush colouring his cheeks, making a nice contrast with the slightly green tinge that Ron had taken.

“And if not, then surely this morning’s shower was a dead giveaway,” Draco carried on with a vague wave of his hand, deliberately ignoring the increasingly scandalised expressions that all three of the Gryffindors were wearing.

Pansy was leaning against Blaise, the two of them helping to keep each other upright, unable to stop laughing at the combination of Ron's horror, Harry's embarrassment and Draco's smugness. Hermione threw them an annoyed look, but this just made the two of them laugh more.

"Well honestly, we really didn't need to know that," Hermione said snippily, fixing her attention on finding the chapter that they were likely going to be working on during the days lesson, because she simply wasn't ready to look at either Harry or Draco at the moment.

"You Gryffindors are such prudes," Draco said, turning back around to face the front of the room, and sort out the books and parchment on his desk, a pleased smirk on his face, clearly enjoying their reactions.

Hermione turned to Draco, looking about ready to argue back, but was cut short when she spotted Flitwick enter the classroom. With a huff she turned back to the front, trying her very best to ignore the amused expression on Draco's face, and glaring at the two other Slytherins in front of them who were still struggling to stop laughing.

"Settle down, settle down," the professor commanded, as he walked towards the front of the room, turning to given Pansy and Blaise a stern look; the two of them were now desperately trying to smother their laughs, but each time they caught each other's eye, it seemed to make one or the other lose it again. "Miss Parkinson, Mr Zabini," Flitwick said, "perhaps you would like to share whatever has amused you with the rest of the class."

Harry and Draco shared a quick look with each other, before turning to stare at their Slytherin friends in apprehension; surely they wouldn't _actually_ share that with the class. However, when Blaise and Pansy glanced towards each of the two Erotes, Harry's look of horror and Draco's glare of warning caused them to just laugh harder, to the point where they were unable to speak.

"Okay, out!" Flitwick snapped, pointing towards the door at the back of the room. "Twenty points from Slytherin," he added as the two Slytherins got up from their seats. "You can return when you are able to conduct yourselves in a manner suitable for a classroom.”

Apparently needing the mutual support, they leaned on each other as they headed for the door; the rest of the class looking on in confusion as the two normally stoic Slytherins seemed unable to control themselves.

-#-

It was nearly ten minutes before Blaise and Pansy returned and by then the rest of the class had settled down and were busily making notes on the chapter they had just read. The pair of them had their usual Slytherin masks of indifference back in place and attempted to placate Flitwick with claims that they must have had laughing jinxes put on them; though he clearly wasn't buying it.

Draco glanced sideways, scoffing quietly at Hermione's extensive scribbling that was barely any shorter than the section of the book it was based on. He shifted on his chair, rubbing at his temples as he tried to focus on his own notes; a headache was threatening to show itself, it wasn't yet enough to actually hurt or merit seeking medical attention but it was still annoying... and distracting.

"You okay?" Hermione whispered under her breath, having caught the action from the corner of her eye.

Draco nodded but regretted it immediately when not only did his headache spike sharply but he also felt suddenly quite dizzy. He moaned softly as his stomach muscles cramped a little painfully and he clamped a hand over his mouth, and tried to take deep, slow breaths, because, for a moment, he thought he was about to be sick.

"Draco?" Hermione questioned, sounding genuinely worried as she put her quill down and reached out a hand towards the blond, touching his arm to get his attention.

Draco, however, couldn't really think about anything other than getting to a bathroom at that moment and, ignoring Hermione's hand resting near his wrist, he stumbled to his feet; he had to spread his wings a little and use them for balance as he headed quickly for the door.

"Mr Malfoy!" Flitwick exclaimed, sounding quite annoyed and clearly not okay with students just getting up and leaving his class without explanation. However, Draco was only vaguely aware of his name being called but ignored it as he head swam, and he had to grasp at the corner of a nearby desk to catch his balance.

"I don't think he's well, Sir," Hermione explained quickly, turning to Harry behind her, giving him a worried look, but her friend was already out of his seat, obviously also seriously worried about the blond.

"Sir, can I...?" Harry asked urgently, already moving around the desk as he gestured after Draco, who had stumbled his way to the door out of the room, and out into the corridor.

"Yes, yes, go check on him," Flitwick told him, sounding resigned to the interruptions to his lesson; he had been informed about Harry and Draco's situation after all, so accepted that some allowances had to be made.

Harry, however, hadn't even waited for the permission to be granted, and was at the door almost before Flitwick was done speaking, not even caring that the whole class had stopped their note taking to watch what was going on. His Erote brain was screaming at him to get to Draco as quickly as possible.

"Draco!" Harry cried out in shock at the sight of his boyfriend a little way down the corridor.

Despite his best efforts, Draco had only managed to stumble halfway to the bathroom before falling to his knees and emptying his stomach onto the floor. The blond was still on his knees, one hand against the stone wall and his head hanging as he tried to gain his breath, but his traitorous body wouldn't stop trembling.

"Harry," Draco sobbed sadly, reaching out and gripping Harry's knee when he felt the dominant kneel down next to him, his mate's hand gently pressing against his back, between his wings. He couldn't even find the words to express how glad he was that Harry was there.

Harry spelled the floor clean with a muttered spell, before pocketing his wand and pulling Draco into his arms. He brushed his mate's blond hair back from his pale face, encouraging the submissive's  head to rest against his chest and watching as Draco's purple wings fluttered weakly.

"Dobby," Harry called out softly, sure that the house elf would be more than happy to get him what he needed. Sure enough it was barely a second before the little elf appeared in front of him with a small pop.

"Mister Harry Potter sir," the elf greeted with a deep bow.

"I need a glass of water for Draco," Harry told the elf quickly, and Dobby looked back up at the two teenagers, his large eyes flicking to the blond with obvious concern, before disappearing again.

The submissive moaned a little as his stomach threatened to rebel again. "It's okay, Love, I'm right here," Harry comforted, running his hands over Draco's long blond hair, which was thankfully tied back as usual.

"Water for Mr Malfoy, sir," Dobby said, as he reappeared after only a few seconds, holding out a goblet in both hands for Harry to take.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said gratefully as he took the goblet and helped Draco to sit up a little bit so that he could sip carefully from it. However, after only a couple more sips, Draco refused to drink anymore and Harry handed the goblet back to the elf, who gave a little bow and promptly disappeared.

"We should get you to Madam Pomfrey," Harry suggested as Draco leaned back against him once more. The blond gave a quiet groan at that, but it said a lot about how terrible Draco was feeling that he didn't even try to object. "Can you walk?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Draco mumbled indignantly and let Harry help him to his feet.

The two of them headed off closely in the direction of the Medical Wing; however, it was clear after only a few steps that Draco was far more dizzy and shaky than he had anticipated. The blond had just reached out to brace himself against the wall, when Harry hooked an arm under his knees and picked the submissive up bridal-style.

"Harry...no..." Draco grumbled, pressing his hands against the dominant's chest a little in a very poor attempt at a protest. He had no shame in being the submissive in their relationship, but that didn't mean that he wanted people getting the idea that he was completely dependent on Harry or anything.

"Shh, Love," Harry said, pressing a kiss against Draco's temple. "I've got you and everyone is in class, so no-one will even know," he pointed out. He knew that this was the quickest way to get his mate to the Medical Wing and he wanted the nurse to check that Draco was okay; surely this wasn't normal, not even for pregnant wizards. "Just let me help you, please," Harry requested softly.

It took a few moments but Draco sighed in acceptance and relief, knowing that he really was in no state to walk at the moment, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He rested his head against Harry's shoulder, leaning into his mate's body as he wrapped his arms loosely around Harry's neck, as the dominant headed off in the direction of the Medical Wing.

Draco was breathing slowly, making Harry suspect that the blond in his arms was close to falling asleep, and the submissive's Purple wings twitched and made a feeble attempt to wrap around them; it wasn't much, but Harry got the message. He released his own wings, the large spread of green feather spreading out behind him for a moment, before he wrapped them carefully around them both.

-#-

Madam Pomfrey was in her office; it had been a quiet first week of lessons and she had only had a couple of minor injuries to deal with so far. She was keeping herself busy writing a list of potions, the supplies of which she really needed to get Severus to top up at some point soon.

"Madam Pomfrey?" a voice called from out in the ward.

She sighed, and rubbed at her temples for a moment; that was a voice she knew. She felt she should have expected it not to be long before Harry would appear for one reason or another. She pushed herself to her feet and headed out of her office to see what trouble the teenager had managed to get into now.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Harry called out again and she noticed he was very carefully laying Draco Malfoy on one of the beds. Harry had his large green wings stretched out behind him, which was really quite a sight; she had almost forgotten how huge they were, not having seen them since that first day.

"What happened?" the nurse asked seriously, rushing over to check on young man who was on the bed, clearly in pain from the sounds he was making.

"He just suddenly walked out of class, when I caught up with him he was being sick in the corridor," Harry told her, as he brushed a hand over Draco's forehead. "He keeps complaining about his head, so I think he has a headache and he was too out of it to even be able to walk," he explained, looking at the nurse, who had her wand out and was already waving it over the submissive.

"Harry..." Draco sobbed softly, his eyes pinched shut and arms reaching out as if searching for comfort. He managed to find Harry's hand and used it in a feeble attempt to pull his mate closer. He was also trying to roll over and curl up on his side, his wings twitching gently in protest to him lying on them.

Madam Pomfrey however had other ideas, and pressed a hand gently against his shoulder. " I really need you to just stay lying down for a minute, Mr Malfoy, while I check you over," she told him firmly. "Can you tell me what hurts?"

"... Head... Stomach..." Draco mumbled, still holding tightly onto Harry's hand, pulling his mate down to sit on the edge of his bed next to his head; his Erote side just needed to have his dominant mate close at the moment.

"Okay, I am going to get you a pain potion and an anti nausea potion," Madam Pomfrey told him kindly. "They will be mild but it is the only ones I feel comfortable giving you in your current condition," she explained, summoning two vials and gently lifting Draco's head to pour them down his throat. "It will take a few moments to take effect; try gently massaging his temples," she suggested to Harry, taking his hands and showing him.

Draco sighed softly, and Harry smiled at the fact that it was apparently helping his mate; seeing the blond in pain was awful, and so he was quite glad when, within a few minutes, Draco had fallen asleep, the potions having eased his discomfort. Harry was too caught up with watching Draco's face carefully to even notice the spells the Nurse was casting.

"All seems mostly well..." Madam Pomfrey told him after a few minutes.

"Mostly well?" Harry interrupted a bit snappily, spreading his wings wide in a show of power. "How can you say that? Look at him," gesturing to Draco, who was looking even paler than normal.

"Mr Potter, nausea and headaches, and indeed feeling faint and dizzy, are all common symptoms of pregnancy," the nurse told him calmly, though with stern authority; she was more than used to dealing with the bad tempers of next-of-kin. "I think a lot of his reaction was just shock. However, his symptoms do seem to have been aggravated by an increase in his blood pressure. I will give you a potion he can take which will hopefully help prevent this from happening again. But what he needs now is rest."

Harry sighed, his wings relaxing and folding in against his back; part of him realised that he had probably over-reacted but he couldn't help but worry when it came to his mate and unborn child. "Thank you," he said giving the nurse a wry smile. "He is really going to be okay? And the baby?" he asked looking up at her, concern written all over his face.

"Both Mr Malfoy and the baby he is carrying are fine," Madam Pomfrey assured him with a smile and a hand on his shoulder. "When he wakes, if you would like, we can use a spell to show you the baby, and you can see for yourselves that all is well."

"You can do that?" Harry asked in awe, a little fluttering sensation in his gut at the idea of actually getting to see their child; even the idea made his impending parenthood feel even more real.

"We can," the nurse told him with a nod and a fond, indulgent smile. "If is something that you and Mr Malfoy want," needing to remind Harry that it had to be Draco's choice as well, given it was his body.

"I am sure Draco would really like that," Harry told her confidently, feeling far calmer now that he knew his boyfriend and child were safe and well cared for, "but we can ask him when he wakes up," he said, as the nurse pulled a blanket over Draco.

Harry smiled fondly as Draco grumbled in his sleep, reaching out to get a tight grip on Harry's hand and rolled onto his side, to sleep more comfortably. The dominant couldn't help but think that his mate really did look like an angel, with his long blond hair, perfect pale skin and regal wings. Harry smiled to himself at that thought; he knew his boyfriend well enough to not to be fooled by that illusion. He loved Draco, but he knew that his precious mate came with a full dose of Slytherin instincts and he wouldn't change that for the world.

It hit him like a fist to then gut and for a moment his mind reeled with the thought; he loved Draco, not in spite of his quirks but because of them and, for the first time, Harry truly understood that he would love the young man curled up on the bed in front of him for the rest of eternity.

-#-

Madam Pomfrey had suggested Harry go back to lessons but he had point blank refused to even discuss it; there was simply no way that he was going to leave his mate alone while Draco was unwell. He had agreed, however, to let the blond rest and so was sat at a small table she had conjured for him, and was currently slowly working his way through the charms work they had started doing in class earlier.

"Are you actually voluntarily working?" Draco asked in a groggy, incredulous tone, when he woke up about an hour later, having woken up to the sight of Harry focused, leaning over a sheet of parchment, writing away.

Harry looked up from his work and turned to grin at his mate, who looked to be still half asleep. "You're awake," he declared happily, pushing himself up from his chair and hurrying over to Draco's bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Draco told him as he stretched and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "How long was I asleep?" he asked, feeling a little disorientated; this was why he never liked to sleep during the day.

"Not long, an hour maybe. Let me go get Madam Pomfrey," Harry insisted quickly, placing a quick kiss on Draco's lips before hurrying off in the direction of the nurse's office, leaving the blond to sit himself up in bed. Draco stretched out his arms and wings, trying to ease the vague achiness in his body .

"You look at lot happier, Mr Malfoy," the nurse told him when she returned with Harry a few moments later.

"Much," Draco agreed, shuffling in the bed a little; now that he was feeling better he felt a little awkward sitting in bed with his mate and the nurse standing over him, and he was keen to get out of the Medical Wing. "Can I go?" he asked hopefully.

The nurse chuckled. "Let me just check you and baby first," she told him, as she waved her wand over him and hummed, nodding her approval. "Your blood pressure is still a little high, though not as much as before, but I would like you to take one of these a day for a week," she told him, as she summoned a small box of potion vials and placed them on the bed side table.

Draco nodded his understanding; he would happily take anything that would keep him from feeling like he had earlier again. "And everything is fine with the baby?" he asked, pressing a hand against his still flat stomach and looking up at her with concern.

"Perfectly," the nurse assured him, with a kind, approving smile. "I was saying to Harry, just after you fell asleep, that we could try and get a picture of your baby if the two of you would like," she added, wanting to put his mind at ease.

"Really?" Draco asked with his genuine excitement obvious in his smile. Madam Pomfrey nodded in agreement, as Harry perched himself on the bed, next to the blond. "Well I want to," he said, turning to smile at Harry when the dominant gave his hand a squeeze.

"Me too," Harry agreed, grinning a little at the sight of his mate's excitement. He sometimes felt bad for wanting their child as much as he did, given the lengths Draco had gone to in order to avoid becoming mated, so to see such proof that his mate wanted their child too was reassuring.

"Okay, boys, let's see what we can see," she told them, unable to help but smile at the obvious affection between the young couple, as she pressed gently against Draco's shoulder to get him to lie down a little more.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand in a slow motion just above Draco, muttering a spell that neither of them recognised. Harry gasped and tightened his grip on Draco's hand as an image, which was obviously a developing baby, appeared hovering about a foot above Draco's belly.

Harry felt mesmerised by what he was seeing. It was tiny, probably only an inch or so in length, but he could make out what were clearly arms and legs, and when he looked closely he could make out the eyes and vague shape of a face; it was slightly odd looking, but still definitely like a very small human.

Draco was speechless, feeling quite overwhelmed by his emotions and he quickly used the back of his free hand to brush away the tear that rolled down his cheek. He had known he was pregnant for two months but to actually see the remarkably small form of their child, which was growing inside him, was something else altogether.

"That's really inside me right now?" Draco asked, his slender fingers reaching out as though to try and touch the floating image of his child. He knew that the question was a stupid one even as he asked it, but needed someone else to confirm what felt so surreal.

"It really is," Madam Pomfrey told him with a slightly amused expression; as a school nurse she rarely got to see moments like this, and though she was glad that it was a rare thing within Hogwarts, she was glad to be able to be part of this moment. "That is your baby and, as I said, in excellent health," she told them.

"Our baby, Draco," Harry said in an awed whisper, placing a kiss on the top of his boyfriend's head, neither of them able to look away from the image of their child.

-#-

“Harry,” a female voice called out from a corridor off to their right, as he and Draco were leaving the Medical Wing hand-in-hand a short while later.

Harry recognised the voice at once, and turned to smile at his friend. “Luna,” he greeted happily, as the smiling blonde skipped towards him and Draco. “How are you?" he asked. "I haven’t seen you around in ages.”

“I am good, thank you," Luna told him kindly. "I have just been busy explaining the risks of dabberblimps to the Merpeople; they are being rather stubborn on the matter. But I know you have had other priorities,” she added with a glance at Draco.

Harry knew better than to ask what dabberblimps were and elbowed Draco when he looked like he was about to. Draco snapped his mouth closed, and glared at Harry curiously. The girl was vaguely familiar to the submissive but he didn't think that he had ever actually spoken with her before.

“Were you coming from the Medical Wing?" Luna asked, glancing back in the direction that Harry and Draco had been coming, towards the doors into the nurse's ward. "Which of the three of you required assistance?” she questioned as she looked back to Harry and Draco with concern.

“Three...?” Harry asked in confusion at how she could have possibly known. Draco, who was right at his side, was looking just as baffled and a good deal more concerned, but not about to confirm anything to this strange girl, no matter what she thought she might know.

“Of course," Luna said, still smiling sweetly as she rocked back and forth from her toes to her heels and back again. "You, Draco and the baby,” she clarified, when both of them continued to stare at her in bemusement.

“You told _her_?” Draco asked urgently, hitting Harry on his arm, the two of them quickly glancing around to make sure no one was nearby to overhear, given that Luna hadn't spoken particularly quietly. Thankfully, though, most students were yet to be let out of their lessons and so the corridors were empty.

“No, I didn’t,” Harry snapped lightly, turning to look at Draco. However, his mate was not looking at him, and was instead focused on Luna. Draco had a sneer on his face as he took in her rather peculiar fashion sense and the copy of the quibbler tucked under her arm.“How did you know?” Harry asked, turning to face Luna, hoping that this wasn't going to cause him problems with Draco later.

“Oh, I didn’t know it was a secret, how exciting!" Luna exclaimed enthusiastically, her smile transforming from a smile into a grin. "I do like secrets. I just thought your wings were so pretty so I wrote to Daddy asking if he knew what you were," she added, "and he sent me a rather wonderful book on Erotes.”

Harry laughed, he couldn't help it; Luna really was something else, like no one else he had ever met and he was glad to note that his Erote didn’t view her knowing about their inheritances or the baby as a threat. Draco, however, looked mostly confused, his mouth slightly open as though he couldn’t quite decide which question to ask first.

“Oh, don’t worry, Draco," Luna assured him, crooking her head to one side as though to view him a little better. "Your secret will be safe with me and it is obvious that you and your daughter make Harry very happy. You will never have to worry about me causing you any trouble,” she told him, before dreamily adding, “oh I do like babies, it will be such fun having one around the school next year.”

“Daughter?” Harry and Draco asked, both staring at her with wide eyes; even with the detailed image of their child that Madam Pomfrey had been able to form, it had been far too soon for her to determine the gender.

“Oh, did you not want to know? I didn’t mean to spoil it for you," Luna said, looking guilty for a moment before breaking into a smile again. "Well I could be wrong, it has happened occasionally,” she told them dreamily. “Well I will see you around, I want to write to my father with some new evidence I have that will help him prove that Scrimgeour is a Vampire.” And, with that, she skipped off down the corridor.

“How could she possibly know that?” Draco asked with obvious scepticism, staring after the blonde girl until she disappeared around the corner, and then turning to look back at his mate.

“That the Minister for Magic is a vampire?” Harry asked, unable to keep the amusement from his face. He really had missed Luna, and wasn't quite sure what to believe when it came to the things that girl told him.

“What? No,” Draco said, giving Harry a shove, “I mean the ‘our baby is a girl’ thing. Is she crazy? Because there is no way she could know that. And Scrimgeour being a vampire, that is just ridiculous,” he insisted with a roll of his eyes.

Harry shrugged. “Luna is... one of a kind," he explained. "Honestly, yes, I think she is a little crazy but she does often seem to know things that there should be no way of knowing.” Harry smiled and pulled Draco against his front. “If Luna says we are having a daughter, then I am inclined to believe her,” he told his mate, placing a quick kiss on Draco's lips.

Draco snorted his disbelief and shook his head, though he looked more amused than anything. “Well I guess we will have to wait and see; in the mean time, how about you stop manhandling me in the corridors and we go have some lunch,” the submissive suggested.

“Oh, well spoil my fun why don’t you; I do so love manhandling you,” Harry told him, groping Draco’s arse and wearing a definitely lecherous smirk, which Draco was actually quite proud to see on his boyfriend’s face.

“Yeah, don’t I know it," Draco said with an exaggeratedly put-upon sigh. "I have the baby to prove it and everything,” the blond added with a wink, patting his own still flat belly.

“Hey, that was my Erote brain thing taking over, not my fault," Harry protested, though a little half-heartedly. "That beautiful love bite on your hip however...," he went on, pulling Draco's body flush against his front and taking advantage of his hand on the blond's hip to brush a thumb over said mark, "that I take full credit for.”

Draco rolled his eyes and gave Harry a gentle push to get him to release him. “Yeah and it is right on the waistline of my trousers too,” the submissive told him with mock annoyance, causing Harry to chuckle as he let Draco go and held his hands up in surrender. “I can feel it all the time, even without you prodding at it.”

“That is kind of hot that you can constantly feel that reminder of last night,” Harry whispered into Draco’s ear, as they linked hands and headed off in the direction of the Great Hall so that they could get some lunch.

“Pervert,” Draco mumbled under his breath. “Why do I love you again?”

“Other than my incredible talent at making you squirm with pleasure, I have no idea.” Harry told him; his green eyes dancing with amusement as he shrugged his shoulders. “Not that I am complaining,” he added, stealing another quick kiss.

“Yeah, well there is that,” Draco conceded.

-#-

The two boys had only been sat at the Slytherin table for a few minutes and were still waiting for their friends to join them when one of the school owls dropped a note in front of Draco.

"Were you expecting post?" Harry asked, as the pair of them frowned the piece of parchment; it was very unusual for any post to be delivered during lunch, and that it was one of the school owls made it even more unusual.

"Not that I know of," Draco told him, as he hesitantly picked it up and unfolded it. The handwriting was familiar to him and the message was short, only taking him a few seconds to read it. He smiled; 'Harry was going to _love_ this', he thought sarcastically to himself as he handed the note over.

Harry looked surprised for a moment but took it to read anyway.

**_'Draco,_ **

**_You and Mr Potter are invited to join me and your father for dinner this evening. We will expect you in my quarters at 7pm._ **

**_Professor Snape.'_ **

“Seriously?” Harry asked, and he looked as though he was sure the universe was having a laugh at his expense; for a moment Draco had to wonder if it actually was. “Please tell me this is a joke," Harry begged as he read the note for a second time, "one of them will probably try to poison me.”

“No, not a joke, and not really an 'invitation' either," Draco told him, knowing that Harry would want to try and wiggle out of this one. "And don’t be so silly, they would never hurt you," he assured his mate, taking Harry's hand in his own, "even if only because they wouldn’t want to risk hurting me. And besides, they are _our_ family remember; family does things such as have dinner together sometimes,” Draco told him, trying not to look too amused by the whole situation

Harry scoffed. “Well if I die at this dinner I am going to haunt you forever,” he said sternly.

Draco rolled his eyes as the dominant's dramatics. “You are far more likely to die from what will probably be very boring conversation, or by being completely grossed out by some show of affection between the two of them,” Draco told him with a smirk. “And then I will probably have suffered the same fate and we can haunt together.”

Harry laughed at that. “Yeah okay, fine," he conceded, "we will go to this dinner with Snape and your father. And just because I love you so damn much, I will even try to be nice,” he promised, smiling over at Hermione and Ron, who had just come through the doors to the Great Hall and were heading their way.

“How very gracious of you,” Draco said sarcastically, though privately he was relieved to hear it. He just hoped that his father and Professor Snape would make the same effort with Harry; either way it was looking to be a very interesting evening.


	19. Eristic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Harry and Draco swiftly made their way through the castle at ten minutes to seven that evening, navigating their way in the direction of the Potions Master's quarters, along the familiar dim corridors that made up the Hogwarts dungeons.

"I really don't think I feel well," Harry whined quietly, staying half a pace behind his mate as he dragged his feet a little. "Maybe it would be best if I just had an early night," he suggested hopefully.

Draco didn't even dignify him with a response, simply turning his head to glare at Harry for a second. He grabbed Harry's hand and picked up his pace, practically dragging his reluctant and sulking boyfriend along the corridor. He really did understand that Harry didn't want to go to this potentially awkward dinner, but they needed to; this was Draco's family and Harry was going to have to come to terms with that.

"Okay, fine, I  _might_  be exaggerating," Harry admitted with a grumpy huff, "but I do have a headache," he insisted. However, he allowed Draco to keeping pulling him along, almost stumbling over his own feet as the blond picked up the pace, not wanting them to be late.

"It is probably just anxiety," Draco said dismissively. "I know how scared of Professor Snape and my father you are," he added, keeping his eyes straight ahead so that his mate wouldn't see the smirk on his face.

Harry looked shocked, and tugged on Draco's hand, but the blond didn't even slow his pace. "I am so  _not_  scared of them," Harry insisted indignantly, looking even more sulky than before.

Draco chuckled. "Sure you aren't, Love," he teased. "I guess you don't have a good excuse to not to go to this dinner then." Harry groaned and picked up his pace to match his mate's, before he actually ended up getting pulled over. "And remember, you promised to be nice," the blond reminded him with smile over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said sounding slightly defeated; he really did understand how important both men were to Draco and so he would try to make this as easy as possible for all of them. "Let's hope they decide to play by the same rule book," he added.

"I'll be having strong words with them if they don't," Draco promised seriously. "Just remember I am here for you first, and then them."

Harry stopped and pulled on Draco's hand to get the submissive to stop too. Draco turned and gave him a confused look, but Harry smiled down at his mate as he wrapped his arms around Draco and pulled the blond against his chest. "I know. Thank you," he whispered earnestly, placing a chaste kiss on Draco's lips.

"Okay, stop distracting me," Draco said with mock annoyance, pushing somewhat half-heartedly against Harry's chest, actually enjoying the mild tingling sensation of the magical energy transfer that he got from his mate's affection. "We are still going to this dinner and I would rather not turn up late," he added sternly, to keep himself, as much as Harry, from suggesting they just go back to their rooms.

"Yeah, okay, fine," Harry agreed with an overly-dramatic sigh, knowing that Draco had a point; surely the one thing worse than a dinner with Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy would be turning up late to said dinner with Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. Releasing the blond from his arms, Harry held out a hand to Draco and the submissive chuckled softly as he took it, and they headed off down the last few corridors to Snape's rooms.

Draco raised his free hand and knocked several times once they had reached the door to the Potions Master's quarters. The blond was surprised by how apprehensive he was feeling about this dinner now that they were there and he wasn't sure if the nausea he was feeling was morning sickness or nerves; in all likelihood he suspected it to be a combination of them both.

"You okay?" Harry asked, his voice laced with mild concern, not having missed Draco's momentary hesitation; after his mate's determination that they would be attending this dinner, he wasn't sure why he would be wavering now.

Draco turned to Harry, surprised and a little touched that his boyfriend had so easily noticed that something was off. "Yes, I'll be fine," he promised, squeezing his mate's hand, and nodded his head. "It's just a little nausea," he explained, forcing a smile.

"Hmmm, well as long as you are sure," Harry said, clearly sceptical. "Though," he added with a small smirk on forming on his lips, "I would be happy to accompany you to the medical..."

"One more suggestion about skipping this dinner..." Draco interrupted, bordering on angry and jabbing a finger into Harry's chest, "... and I will go to the medical wing by myself and leave you to have this dinner with them alone," he threatened.

Harry swallowed hard; Draco really knew what to say to get his co-operation. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath, just as the door swung open and the two teenagers turned to face their Potions professor.

"Ah, good evening," Snape greeted curtly, clearly using all his willpower not to sneer at Harry. "I am glad to see that Draco has at least had a positive effect on your time keeping abilities, Mr Potter."

Harry had already opened his mouth and was ready to point out that actually he was pretty good at time keeping when Draco squeezed his hand lightly to get his attention. He turned to the blond curiously; it was the look in Draco's eyes that made him snap his mouth shut and drop the matter, despite every instinct in his body telling him not to.

Snape watched the pair of them with a blank expression, and took a step to the side and allowed them entry. Harry waved Draco in ahead of him, and the blond stepped through the doorway past Snape but as Harry went to follow his mate into the room Draco suddenly came to a stop, blocking his way.

The blond appeared to be frozen to the spot, and didn't even seem to notice when Harry stepped up behind him, resting a hand on the submissive's waist. Following Draco's line of sight, Harry too seemed to lose the ability to move or speak. Lucius was standing in the middle of the room, close to the dining table, as though he belonged there, as though he was entitled to be standing there, free as a bird.

"Isn't he...?" Draco tried to ask Professor Snape, his voice quiet and an expression of confusion on his face. However, he didn't get to finish his question before Harry interrupted.

"What the HELL!?" Harry asked angrily, forcing a rather baffled Draco behind him as he pulled out his own wings and spread them in a furious display of dominance, which came naturally in the face of such a potential threat to his submissive. "Why is he out of that room?" he demanded to know, glaring at Snape, as the man shut the door behind them and moved past the mass of green feathers and towards Lucius. "We can't trust him not to run back to his old master," Harry snarled.

"Severus has gone to great lengths to ensure I am neither able to leave this room nor perform any magic, I assure you," Lucius said before taking a sip from the glass of deep red wine in his hand. The man's voice was as snobbishly self-assured as it always had been.

Harry snorted in disbelief, not about to take Lucius' word on anything, and so he focused on Snape instead, narrowing his eyes at the Potions Master. "And we are supposed to just take your word for this?" he demanded, holding back Draco, who was trying to move back around him. He was suddenly rather concerned that leaving Lucius in Snape's care wasn't such a great idea, given the developing relationship between them.

Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment before looking back at Harry once more. "The Headmaster has possession of Lucius' wand and we have bound his magic such that he is unable to use it at present," he explained, sounding honestly quite bored by the whole thing. "On top of this we have put the same spells that held him in that room on both the castle and my quarters. He has also taken an Unbreakable Vow, swearing his loyalty to both me and Draco, and against the Dark Lord."

Harry frowned in annoyance, both at the Snape’s tone and the additional freedoms that had been granted to Lucius. He was glad that they were putting measures in place, but it rankled that they just expected him to trust Draco and their child's lives to a few spells that he hadn't even seen cast. He wasn't sure how they expected him to just take Snape's word for it, the word of a man who had heretofore shown nothing but distaste for him.

"Are these measures enough to satisfy the great Harry Potter?" Snape asked impatiently with a sneer on his face when no one had said anything after a few seconds.

Harry gritted his teeth in annoyance but managed to hold his tongue despite the numerous things that he wanted to say to the man. Instead he folded up his wings and turned to face Draco, who he had managed to still keep behind him.  "I don't like this," he admitted quietly, as he wrapped his arms loosely around Draco's waist. "I know he is your father and everything but..."

"I know," Draco interrupted, pressing his hand over Harry's heart as he hung his head for a moment in thought before looking back up to meet Harry's eyes. "I understand what you're saying, I really do, it's not what I was expecting either, but please..." he requested in little more than a whisper.

Harry's scowl deepened at that, not actually surprised that his mate still wanted to stay, but his own instincts were screaming at him to get Draco out of there, to get them safely away from these men.

"I know that you don't trust either of them," Draco went on, as Harry's wings curled gently around them, "but I need this. Besides, you are here to keep us safe," the blond added, taking Harry's hand in his own and pressing it against his still flat belly, and giving the dominant a pleading look. "I don't think they would try anything right under Dumbledore's nose anyway," he pointed out.

Harry continued to frown at him, the reminder that their child was right there with them too making him even more inclined to get out of there, but truthfully he already knew they would stay; he knew he couldn't really deny Draco anything when he looked at him like that.

"Harry, you aren't getting out of this dinner," Draco told him sternly, trying to keep is voice as quiet as possible. The blond crossed his arms over his chest and his grey eyes narrowed in annoyance.

It only took a moment longer before Harry caved with a sigh. "Okay, fine," he agreed huffily, wrapping his arms back around the blond's waist once more, as he retracted his wings. " _BUT_...," he went on before Draco could say anything, "one wrong move and we leave," he compromised, glancing over his shoulder at Lucius, who gave a single nod to show his understanding.

"Thank you," Draco told him earnestly, placing a hand over Harry's heart again.

"Yes, well, you owe me one," Harry grumbled quietly before leaning down the small distance to press a kiss to Draco's temple. "I am sure you will think of a way to make it up to me," he added with a wink and half a smile.

Draco exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, causing Harry to chuckle softly. He was far too aware, though, that Snape and his father were still in the room with them, and so he pulled Harry's hands from his waist, before stepping around his mate.

There was a tense silence in the room as Draco approached the two other men, stopping when he was standing a few feet from his father. Harry clenched his fists at his sides, barely managing to resist the urge to charge after his pregnant submissive and snatch him back into his arms, to keep him safe.

"Draco," Lucius greeted emotionlessly, with a dip of his head and he raised his glass in a wordless toast. Harry scowled; he knew how much this dinner meant to Draco, how much his mate wanted to figure things out with Lucius and so the cold greeting did nothing to endear the senior Malfoy to him.

"Father," Draco responded stiffly. His voice was as steady and blunt as his father's but Harry didn't miss the way that his mate's wings shifted and fingers twitched; he was sure that it was taking Draco a lot to fight the instinct to cross his arms over his belly and shield himself with his wings.

The tension in the room felt ready to snap, and for a moment Harry wondered if Draco was going to lose his battle with his submissive urges, but his mate didn't move from his spot, didn't show any signs of backing down, despite the significant and intimidating height advantage his father had over him.

"Let's sit," Professor Snape suggested after a few moments, when no one else showed any inclination to move or speak, gesturing towards the moderately sized dark wood table that had already been set for four.

Harry took that as his cue and quickly moved to stand next to Draco, looping an arm around his waist and leading him away from Lucius towards their seats. His mate went with him easily and without protest, and had even seemed to relax a little with the dominant's touch.  Harry hated that Lucius was obviously making Draco so on edge, and threw a look of obvious distrust at the older Malfoy; however, the man did nothing but smile somewhat mockingly in return, before casually making his way towards the other side of the table.

Draco glared at Harry when he pulled out a chair for him. "I can manage to sit down without your assistance," he grumbled quietly, but it was obviously that Harry was barely listening, too busy watching the other two men with narrowed eyes as he took his seat next to Draco.

Lucius took the seat across from his son, Severus taking the one next to him, across from Harry, and their food appeared in front of them almost instantly, presumably thanks to the Hogwarts house elves. Harry was relieved that the food arrived so promptly; it meant that they could focus on their starter, bowls of a simple vegetable soup and a large loaf of fresh bread that had been thickly sliced and lightly buttered, rather than actually having to make conversation.

Harry had been concerned that Draco's morning sickness would put the submissive off the meal but, despite the nausea Draco had been feeling just before they arrived, he tucked in, eating the soup more elegantly than Harry would have believed possible. His mate even seemed to be relaxing a little bit now and so, with a smile, Harry turned his attention to his own food.

Draco had definitely not been in the mood to eat but had done so as it was preferable to making conversation with his father, and as soon as he had started on the soup it helped to settle his stomach. Now he was eating something, he was suddenly aware of how hungry he actually was; it was probably due to having emptied his stomach earlier and not having had enough at lunch time to replace it. He was feeling mildly annoyed at Harry for having ignored him in favour of glaring at Lucius and Snape but was appeased somewhat by the unsubtle glances he could see his mate giving him; at least Harry was remembering who in this room was important.

It was somewhat fortunate that they had been invited for dinner rather than just to talk because it seemed that none of them had much to say; though Harry was mentally sulking, thinking that they could have achieved as much in the Great Hall, and without the uncomfortable, tense environment.

He had agreed to this dinner mostly so that Draco and his father could spend some time together and, as such, the fact that neither of them seemed to have anything to say was annoying him somewhat. There was part of him that couldn't help but feel vindictively glad, knowing in his heart that Lucius Malfoy didn't deserve the right to even speak to Draco, but he could see, and hated, how on edge it was putting his mate.

Draco really was nervous, more than he thought he should be, and he was sure that Harry could tell and just hoped that neither his father nor Snape had noticed; he didn't hold out much hope of that though, and just took comfort in the fact that Lucius seemed to be just as on edge as well. He had believed that his father had been the one to request this dinner but now he couldn't help but wonder if it had been Professor Snape's idea to try and restore some form of relationship between the two Malfoys.

He was trying hard to convince himself that he didn't care either way but he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it. There was a tightness in his chest that he felt when he thought about it too much that said otherwise; apparently he still longed for his father's approval despite everything and so he decided to focus on the food in front of him instead of dwelling on that realisation.

-#-

The four of them finished their soup in silence, punctuated only by occasional glances they would throw at each other, and Harry was pleased to note that Draco had managed not only all his soup but several slices of bread as well, before the now empty bowls vanished.

"Professor Flitwick mentioned that you ran from his class earlier today," the Snape told them in an obvious attempt to break the heavy tension in the room.

Draco looked up in surprise to meet the Potions Master’s eyes. The man seemed to be trying to pry the answers from him with just a look and it was almost instinctive when Draco threw his Occlumency shields into place. He was far from an expert at it, having only had a few lessons from his father one summer and, in truth, he doubted that he could have actually have kept the professor from his mind and was relieved when he felt no evidence of the man trying anything.

It took the blond a moment to realise that the other three were all watching him expectantly, Professor Snape with narrowed eyes, his father with a slightly curious expression and Harry with uncensored concern.

"It was nothing serious," Draco told them dismissively, and he could practically feel  Harry frowning next to him, knew how much Harry hated it when he was dismissive of being unwell but he already felt weak enough in his father's eyes, without adding the ever growing list of pregnancy symptoms. "I'm fine," he insisted, feeling that he could probably handle his boyfriend's disapproval far more easily than his father's.

Harry didn't like Draco hiding what had happened earlier from his father, and potential new step-father, but he had promised he would play nice and, when it came down to it, he was here for Draco and, as such, he would respect his mate's choice. They would, however, be talking about it later and he tried to tell the blond as much with his eyes, but the submissive's attention was on the other two men.

Lucius was making a slightly odd attempt at a smile in his son's direction, but Snape was obviously suspicious, even though he made no comment on it. Draco held onto his calm facade but was still happy for the distraction when their main course arrived; that was until the smell of the baked chicken hit him full force and his stomach clenched and rebelled, one hand flying to cover his mouth, the other pushing the plate across the table away from him.

"Draco, Love?" Harry asked, sounding rather alarmed at the sudden change in his mate, but quickly realised what was wrong. "Dobby," he called, summoning the elf. "Please get rid of the dishes," he ordered sternly, before the little creature even had a chance to speak; Dobby didn't seem put out by the instruction though, and quickly obeyed without question.

"What is going on?" Lucius demanded to know, an indignant expression on his face as his own meal was vanished, care of his former elf. However, no one was in any hurry to explain anything, their attention fully on Draco now.

The blond turned sideways on his chair, one hand reaching out for his dominant mate and clenching on Harry's thigh, the other still over his mouth as he took slow breaths in an attempt to persuade his stomach to not reject its contents. Snape was up from his chair and had hurried across the room, and was now digging through his cabinet, looking for a potion that would help with the nausea that had obviously hit the young man.

"Shh, it's okay, Love," Harry said gently, rubbing his hand over his boyfriend's upper back when Draco rested his forehead on his shoulder. "I am right here, it will pass. Just take deep breaths," he suggested, wishing there was something more that he could do for his mate.

"Someone needs to tell me what is wrong with my son right this instant," Lucius demanded again, getting to his feet. He was concerned for Draco and it bothered him that both Severus and Potter apparently knew what was going on, and were able to help his son when he could not; and certainly wasn't used to being ignored.

Harry looked over at the older Malfoy and glared at him for a second before turning his attention back where it was needed, to his suffering boyfriend. As far as he was concerned, if Lucius truly cared about Draco then he would have shown it before now, and right now he didn't have any time for the man at all.

"Draco appears to be suffering from morning sickness," Snape explained as he came to kneel down next to the submissive. "This will help," he told Draco quietly, raising a small phial in front of him, to try and encourage him to drink the potion. The young blond looked reluctant but did trust the Potions Master, and so parted his lips and tilted his head back, allowing Snape feed him the potion.

"The baby is doing this to him?" Lucius asked, sounding almost angry about that, as Draco grimaced at the taste of the thick liquid. The teenager had a few things he wanted to say in response to his father's words but his stomach was still churning dangerously and so he just rested his head back on Harry's shoulder.

"It is a normal, though granted pretty awful, part of pregnancy," Harry snarled at Lucius, his hand moving in circles on Draco's back again. He didn't like the man's attitude at all; he knew that Draco was already going to hate having his father seeing him like this and if ever there was a time that they needed Lucius to be supportive, it was now. However the years since he had first encountered the man had destroyed any tiny bit of faith Harry might have ever had in Lucius' fatherly instincts and so he wasn't expecting much.

-#-

Draco was feeling both irritated and embarrassed when, nearly ten minutes later, the nausea had passed enough that he was finally able to sit up properly without it making him feeling worse; he was, however, still holding onto Harry and avoiding looking at his father.

"Thank you," he said to the professor, still sounding quite out of it. He truly was grateful for the potion and thankful that it seemed to be helping, because usually the sickness would have taken far longer to pass.

"Are you well again now?" Lucius asked, clearly not at all sure what he was supposed to say. That, however, was more than any of the room's other three occupants had expected and they had all turned to stare at the man in surprise.

Draco blinked a few times slowly, giving his father an unsure nod that made Harry wonder just how rarely Lucius had expressed any true concern for his son. Harry had never seen any evidence of it really, apart from the times that he ranted and raved about people who he blamed for problems in Draco's life, if he could even count those occasions.

"Should that be happening?" Lucius asked with a frown as he took his seat again, Severus returning to the seat next to him. "Shouldn't he see a healer?" he suggested.

"He's seen one," Harry told him bluntly, not appreciating the implication that he would let his mate go on suffering if there was any chance a healer could help him. "And this is normal. Morning sickness doesn't occur in every pregnancy, but is particularly common in male pregnancies," he explained, rather annoyed at the ignorance of the man who was more or less his father-in-law.

"I'm fine," Draco told him firmly, though he was looking slightly faint and so Harry shuffled his chair over closer to the blond, encouraging the submissive to lean against his side, knowing that physical contact between them would make Draco feel better more quickly. "I'm fine," the blond grumbled again, under his breath, attempt to shrug Harry off. Draco was trying his hardest to throw back up the Malfoy masks and prove his strength, but Harry was having none of it and the dominant wrapped an arm around Draco's waist insistently.

The two older men were watching the interaction between the pair of them with curiosity; while Snape had been around the young couple a fair bit over the months since Draco had pulled out Harry's inheritance, and grown somewhat accustomed to the two of them together, it was relatively new to Malfoy senior.

"Can we just eat?" Draco asked with exasperation, feeling unsettled by the calculating look in his father's eyes, which he had long ago learned to fear. He had just wanted one night where he could show his father that his relationship with Harry hadn't weakened him, but apparently he couldn't even get that, and he certainly didn't want to talk about it.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked anxiously, looking quite surprised at the suggestion. Usually the morning sickness put Draco off of his food for at least an hour or two.

Draco gave him a genuine smile, knowing that whatever else happened that evening, Harry was there for him. "I'm sure," he assured his mate. "Though, let's avoid chicken," he suggested with an amused smirk.

Harry chuckled at that and nodded his head in agreement. "Dobby," he called out again, summoning the house elf once more, and the little creature appeared almost instantly next to where Harry was sitting.

"How can I be helping, Mr Harry Potter, Sir?" Dobby asked joyfully, giving a bow before looking up at Harry with his large green eyes.

"Would it be too much trouble to fetch something for us to eat?" Harry asked, already knowing full well that the house elf would be more than happy to help. "Not the chicken though, it was making Draco feel unwell," he explained.

"Is the young Master Malfoy in need of the nurse?" the elf asked with concern, peering around Harry to where Draco was leaning again him.

"Did he ask for a nurse? No!" Lucius barked out quite aggressively, slamming his fist down on the table, and making Harry, Draco and Dobby all jump a little in surprise. "You will do as you were ordered, elf!"

"Dobby is a free elf, Mr Malfoy," Dobby told him, recovering from being startled and puffing out his chest with pride. "I do not be taking orders from you no more," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff, and barely a second later there was a popping sound and the elf vanished.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" Harry demanded through clenched teeth, holding onto his temper by a thread. "Dobby was trying to be helpful. Couldn't you see that he was just worried about Draco?"

"It is not a house elf's place to..." Lucius snarled back, an expression of barely concealed fury on his face.

"SHUT UP!" Draco bellowed, slamming his palms down on the table top. "I have a headache, I am hungry, I still feel kind of sick and I have had _more_ than enough of... of... of _this_ ," he yelled, gesturing to their odd little group in general. Getting to his feet, he forcefully removed Harry's grip on his waist and moved away from the table.

Draco had taken only about four paces before he rounded on his father, anger flashing in his eyes. "You just had to be all  _superior_  because a house elf was being  _NICE_!" he exclaimed angrily, a finger pointed at his father in accusation. "Feel like a big man now?" he asked rhetorically. "You offended a house elf, left your pregnant son to go without food and threw your future son-in-law's attempts to be civil back in his face."

Harry was stunned by Draco's outburst, but not half as much as Lucius was; it was obvious that Draco had never spoken to his father in such a way before and apparently it was enough to have shocked the elder Malfoy into silence.

Snape, however, was looking honestly disappointed in the turn of events, though he was clearly trying to hide it behind a dispassionate and stoic expression. Draco couldn't help but feel a little bad for the Potions Master; the man was so close to getting the family he had wanted for so long and was now having to watch it falling apart before it ever really had a chance.

Draco could relate to Snape in that moment, he wanted that family too after all. He had known his father would find a way to ruin it all though and was angry at the vague hope he had had that they might be able to make it work, that Lucius might be able to accept them; and he was angry at Snape too for having made that hope burn brighter because the betrayal only hurt more now in its light.

Harry was at Draco's side with a comforting hand on his arm but Draco didn't want comfort, he didn't want to be saved and he really didn't want his knight with giant green wings to swoop in and tell him it was going to be okay. It wasn't okay, not even close, because his own father couldn't get past his own need to be the powerful arrogant head of the Malfoy family long enough to show his son that he loved him.

"Don't, Harry," Draco snapped as he pulled his arm free from Harry's gentle hold more violently than he had intended. Harry stared at him, a heartbroken look on his face, wordlessly asking Draco what he had done wrong, and Draco felt a pang of guilt rush through him.

The blond sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment before forcing himself to look Harry in the eye. "I'm not mad at you, Love, not really," the blond promised, reaching up to place a gentle hand on Harry's cheek, followed by a chaste kiss on his lips. "I just need to... just  _be_  for a bit. And I need you to not treat me like I'm fragile and about to break," Draco tried to explain.

Harry still looked hurt and confused by the whole turn of events. Draco didn't know how else to explain it, so he simply gave Harry another chaste kiss and squeezed his mate's hand as he stepped passed him on the way to the door and, without another word, left the room.

"Good job!" Harry snapped angrily, once Draco was gone, leaving him alone with Lucius and Snape. "I am sure Draco trusts you completely now," he told Lucius sarcastically with a snarl.

"I didn't..." Lucius started to explain defiantly, but he seemed to still be in shock from having been shouted at by his son and he let his words trail off into nothing.

"Didn't what?" Snape asked him coldly, before Harry had a chance, the professor’s nonchalant expression narrowing into one of anger. "Think...? care...?" he suggested, "or did you just completely forget that your son is a pretty damn scared, pregnant, sixteen year old boy who really wants his father to accept him?"

Harry stared in shock and completely lost for words. He was still reeling from Draco's rant and now found himself completely blown away by the Potions Master's defence of his boyfriend. When his mate had left he had assumed that he would be facing the two men alone but it seemed that Lucius had managed to infuriate them all that evening.

"Severus..." Lucius pleaded, looking every bit as stunned as Harry felt.

"No, forget it," Snape sneered, with a dismissive wave of his arm. "I tried; Merlin, even I can see that Potter tried; and Draco was ready to give you a chance, despite all you have done," he pointed out, shaking his head minutely in exasperation. "Just get back in your room; I can't even stand the sight of you right now," he said quietly, his voice full of sadness.

Lucius' brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, but words apparently failed him and he snapped his jaw shut, his eyes fixed on the Potions Master, who couldn't even bear to look at him. Harry half expected the elder Malfoy to break into a rant, to rage about the unfairness of it all but was profoundly relieved when the blond simply turned and strode wordlessly back to his small room.

 Harry watched on silently as Lucius moodily passed through the bars, which offered him no resistance, and sat on the edge of the bed. The elder Malfoy stared at the wall and didn't even glance their way when Snape approached, touching his wand against the bars and presumably sealed the doorway closed behind the man. Harry jumped a little in surprise when the Snape then slammed the heavy wooden door to the room closed too.

"I'm sorry this didn't go so well," Harry said softly, as the professor simply stood next to Lucius' door with his palm against it; he could see how much this was hurting him too and he had never felt quite so sorry for the man as he did in that moment.

The older man scoffed, turning from the room and heading over to one of his cabinets. "I should have known something would go wrong," he told Harry as he poured himself a large glass of thick amber-coloured liquid, which Harry could only assume was stronger than anything he had ever tasted.

"Maybe," Harry agreed hesitantly. He wasn't surprised that Lucius had ended up causing problems but that didn't mean he thought that Draco and Snape had been wrong to try and make this work.

Snape took a large swig of his drink and Harry was just about to offer to leave, given it was kind of awkward with just the two of them there now, when the Potions Master rounded on him. "Did you have to summon that particular elf?" Snape demanded, suddenly sounding angry. "Did you have to rub it in Lucius' face, everything that he has lost, that _you_ have taken from him?"

Harry gaped at the man he had been feeling sorry for just second earlier; he could barely believe it, Snape was really going to try and pin this on him, make him out to be the bad guy? "It is hardly my fault that Malfoy Senior has no respect for _anyone_ and that he was stupid enough to lose a house elf to a twelve year old kid," Harry snapped back; he knew that Snape was likely just lashing out in his hurt but Harry wasn't going to stand there and not fight back, not defend himself.

Snape sneered at him, taking another gulp if his drink. "You," he yelled, "you could have summoned any elf." He paused, draining the last of his drink and slamming the glass down on the nearby table. "This castle has hundreds, but no, you summon that one!"

"I wasn't thinking about Lucius _at all_ when I called Dobby," Harry yelled back before he could stop himself. " I was thinking only of Draco and wanting to help him. My boyfriend and child are my priority, not Lucius' precious feelings. I didn't even _think_ about Dobby having anything to do with Lucius."

"Of course you didn't think," Snape snarled, taking a few steps closer to Harry and looking down his nose at him, "you never think. Just like your father... selfish... arrogant..."

"Selfish!?" Harry asked incredulous anger, his wings bursting from his back and shadowing over them both. "I just said I was only thinking about Draco. How the hell is that selfish?" he asked, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he resisted the urge to attack. He was furious, his cheeks red as he shook with the tension that had gripped his whole body. "If you could pull your head out of your arse for five seconds..."

"POTTER!" Snape bellowed in outrage before Harry could finish his sentence, a look of fury on his face as he seemed to be resisting the urge to strike out at the boy who was still his student and Harry belatedly realised that he had gone too far.

"This was not my doing, Snape," Harry insisted, the man's name a sneer upon his tongue as he turned, folding his wings in close to his back as he headed for the door, knowing he had to leave before things got any further out of hand and one of them did or said something that could not be taken back. "Good night,  _sir_ _," Harry drawled as he yanked open the door and stepped through, slamming it shut behind himself._

The professor quickly followed, pulling the door open again quickly, but by the time he had stepped through, Harry was down the corridor and disappearing around the corner. At least the boy had the sense to know when to run, even if he didn't know when to hold his tongue, Snape thought bitterly.

He grit his teeth as he stepped back into his quarters, trying to calm his temper. He knew full well that despite taking his anger out on the Potter boy it was truly his lover that he was furious; Potter might not have acted wisely that evening but it was Lucius that had driven Draco away, had broken the tenuous peace that was forming.

He leaned back against the door and sighed heavily. He was not looking forward to a night alone in his bed; he had grown accustomed to the company far more quickly than he wanted to admit and realised this was to be far more difficult than he had hoped. As he pushed himself away from the door, he decided he really needed a second drink.

-#-

Harry didn't run far, only a few corridors before he stopped, willed his wings away and leant against a wall, the cold stone refreshing him as he took a few deep breaths; he was relieved that it didn't sound as though Snape had followed him. In truth it seemed unlikely that the older man would actually do him any harm, at least while they were still professor and student, but that was not something he was going to bet his life on and certainly not while Snape was in such an understandably foul mood.

He leant his head back, letting his eyes fall shut as he tried to calm himself; that greasy bat of a man sure did know how to push his buttons, he thought to himself somewhat vindictively. He was just so tired of Snape blaming him for things that were not his fault and even more fed up with his father's name being brought into it, when he had never even really known the man.

He supposed he did understand why seeing Dobby would have bothered the older Malfoy but he thought that Lucius had greatly overreacted; and besides, he had been telling the truth when he said it hadn't even occurred to him about the connection. Calling Dobby was bordering on instinctive because he knew he could trust the elf, even with something as important as Draco's health.

Not really quite sure what to do with himself, he pushing off the wall and began the long trek up the many flights of stairs as he headed back towards the common room.  He wished, not for the first time, that he had the password to the Slytherin common room so he could get to their rooms that way.

He needed to make sure that Draco had returned to their rooms safely and then would either stay with his mate or else spend some time with the Gryffindors if Draco still wanted some time alone.

-#-

"Hi, Harry," Neville said with a warm smile, putting down his book as Harry walked past the couch in the Gryffindor common room where he had been sitting reading.

Harry turned and blinked at Neville, looking a little surprised to see him there. "Oh... hi," Harry greeted, smiling in return; he had been so focused on getting to his room to check on Draco that he had completely failed to even notice his friend. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm okay," Neville told him with a shrug of his shoulders, as he discarded his book onto the table next to him and gave his friend his full attention, "but from that look on your face it should be me asking you that question."

"Right, yeah," Harry said wearily, running his hand through his hair and glancing over towards the portrait that hid the entrance to his and Draco's room. "It has just be a hell of a day," he told Neville truthfully.

"Want to talk about it?" Neville asked, gesturing to the empty seat on the sofa next to him. He had finished with his homework some time ago and had just been reading a book that Professor Sprout had recommended, and so would be glad for the company.

"Oh no, you don't have to..." Harry assured him quickly with a shake of his head; the last thing he wanted to do was worry his fellow Gryffindor.

"Harry," Neville interrupted sternly, reaching out and lightly gripping Harry's wrist. "That was not a pity offer," he informed him with a kind smile. "We are friends right?"

"Of course!" Harry agreed without hesitation, looking a little alarmed that Neville had even had to ask such a thing.

"Well in that case, come and talk to me about it all sometime," Neville insisted. "I understand that you and Draco have your bond and love each other, that Hermione can answer more or less any question you might be able to think of, and that Ron is your best friend, but sometimes we all just need someone to talk to, someone who will just listen," he told him. "And you have a lot more going on than most."

Harry smiled wryly at the truth of Neville's words. "Thank you," he said earnestly after a few seconds of thought, catching Neville's hand in his own when his fellow Gryffindor released his wrist. "I just might take you up on that."

"Do," Neville said firmly, looking pleased. "Well don't let me hold you up, you look like you are itching to be somewhere and I am betting it is to check on Draco," he added with a wink, as he let go of Harry's hand and gestured towards the portrait of Sir Selwyn.

A little nervous and almost embarrassed laugh escaped Harry's lips and he shrugged.  "I can't help worrying about him," he admitted, but Neville just gave him an understanding nod and Harry wondered, not for the first time, if he had greatly underestimated what a good friend Neville was to him. "Night and thank you, I mean it," he said, resting a hand on Neville's shoulder, as he headed past his friend and over to the portrait.

-#-

"Draco?" Harry called out hesitantly once he was in their rooms and the door was shut behind him. His instincts were telling him to find his mate quickly, ensure that both he and their child were safe, but he kept his voice quiet enough that if the blond had fallen asleep he wouldn't wake him.

However, it seemed that he needn't have worried, because Draco's voice sounded from the direction of their bedroom just a moment later. "In here, Harry," the blond called, and Harry headed quickly across the living room.

"Is it safe to come in?" Harry asked in a teasing tone as he poked his head around the barely open door to their bedroom.

"It might have been wise to wait for my answer to that question before presenting your head as a target," Draco pointed out dryly from where he was sat on their bed, his back and wings up against the headboard. "But I already told you, I'm not mad at you."

"Snape is," Harry told his mate simply as he moved into the room properly, closing the door behind him, shrugging his robed off his shoulders and discarding them over a chair. Even in the dim light of the room Harry could see that Draco had been crying but wisely chose to pretend he hadn't noticed, feeling pretty sure that pointing out something that Draco would see as weakness was not the way to stay in his good books.

"Let him be," Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders, watching Harry as the Gryffindor removed his shoes. "He is probably just sulking that us all being a family isn't going to be as easy as he hoped and taking it out on you," the blond suggested as Harry climbed onto the bed next to him.

"Can I have a hug?" Harry asked bluntly, not really wanting to talk about Snape or their disastrous evening any further; he just wanted to be close to his mate but felt it wise to make sure that wouldn't cost him a limb before he tried anything.

Draco scowled. "I don't need your Gryffindor pampering, Harry," he told him firmly, watching his dominant with a wary expression.

"I wasn't offering for your sake, I was asking for mine," Harry said with a smirk. "This Gryffindor needs a bit of Gryffindor pampering; I told Snape to pull his head out of his arse and then ran away scared."

Draco laughed, a full out belly laugh that made Harry smile widely. "Oh I should have stuck around just to see that," his said and shifted over to give Harry his requested hug, cuddling close to his mate's side.

"I love you," Harry whispered into Draco's ear, wrapping his arms around his submissive and holding him close, letting his Erote instincts relax in the knowledge that Draco was safe.

"I love you too," Draco said back, "so if you could not get yourself murdered by our Potions professor, baby and I would be very grateful," he added with a wink as he pulled back from the hug to look up at his mate.

"Well if you insist," Harry agreed with a goofy smile, glad that Draco seemed, at least on the surface, to not be taking the evening too badly.

The moment was broken however, by a couple of popping noises and when they turned towards them, they found a large tray of chopped fresh fruit, small squares of chocolate and two glasses of milk, on Harry's bedside table, which definitely hadn't been there only seconds earlier.

Harry grinned broadly. "Thanks, Dobby," he whispered under his breath, hoping the elf would hear him.

"Oooh... Melon," Draco said excitedly, as he gently pushed Harry out of his way and clambered over his mate's lap to help himself to the food.

"Hungry?" Harry asked with a laugh, not at all complaining at suddenly finding himself with the blond basically on top of him now.

"I hadn't realised but yes, ravenous," Draco told him with a grin, his wings spread out behind him as he sat himself in Harry's lap and practically force fed the dominant an apple segment before reaching for more melon for himself.


	20. Esbat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came together really easily once I got started, I have started chapter 21, but it is probably going to be a little tricky to get just right.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

Pansy dropped a stack of books onto the table in the library where Hermione was working. "I don't suppose you are working on that dreadful potions essay?" the Slytherin asked, as she leaning against the table's edge, trying to steal a glance of Hermione's work.

The bushy haired girl finished off writing the last few words of her sentence, not wanting to lose her train of thought, and then looked up. She couldn't help but stare, blinking slowly in her surprise, when she realised who it was who had spoken to her.

"Erm..." Hermione mumbled, frustrated with her own inarticulacy but not at all sure what to say, and so she just settling for nodding dumbly. It was true that the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins were doing a pretty impressive job of getting along for the most part, but this was still the first time that Pansy had taken the initiative to spend time with her, other than when they were with Harry and Malfoy.

"I thought you were the smartest witch in our year," Pansy said with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest and looking far too amused for Hermione's liking, "I was at least hoping for articulate."

"Funny," Hermione said dryly, with a stern, calculating expression. "I was just a bit surprised you would want, let alone ask for, my help," she explained when Pansy continued to look at her expectantly.

"Well normally Draco would walk me through the concepts, but he is preoccupied canoodling with your best friend at the moment," Pansy told her with an overly dramatic roll of her eyes, as though the idea of what their friends were up to was mildly amusing; perhaps, given the history between the two of them, it kind of was. "I figured that you might be prepared to offer assistance in his place," she suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well..." Hermione said, pausing for a second to give it serious thought, "it would be nice to have a willing study partner for once," she conceded; she was mildly suspicious of the Slytherin girl's friendliness but wasn't about to throw it back in Pansy's face. So Hermione gestured to the open seat next to her..

Pansy looked pleased and quickly moved around Hermione to sit down, dropping herself into a chair next to the Gryffindor as Hermione moved her Advanced Potion Making between them and flicked through to find the page she was looking. 

Pansy pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and looked at the paragraph that Hermione was pointing to. "The key to Golpalott's Third Law is identifying the additional ingredient required to blend the antidotes..." the bushy-haired Gryffindor started to explain, delighted when Pansy simply nodded and began to make notes.

-#-

Ginny leaned against the end of one of the library's many bookcases and frowned as she watched Hermione and Parkinson sitting together down the other end of the library, their heads bent over a shared book; she knew Harry had been encouraging them all to work on their inter-house relations but it was disconcerting to watch in action and she couldn't bring herself to trust the Slytherin girl no matter what Harry had to say on the matter.

Hermione and Parkinson, however, didn’t seem to be finding the situation at all odd, if the rapid, hushed conversation they were having was any indication. The two of them seemed to be debating something, pointing out various pieces of text to back up their points, but there didn't seem to be any malice in the way they were speaking  to each other.

Ginny frowned as she moved behind the bookcase and leaned against it, trying to work through her conflicted thoughts. She wanted to get back into Harry's good books and knew the best way to do that was to honour her word and keep her promise to him; but at the same time, that would mean fraternising with Slytherins. She understood why Harry wanted her to give them a chance, given that he was stuck with Malfoy whether any of them liked it or not, but it still rankled.

Glancing back around the bookcase to where Hermione and Pansy were sitting, a smirk formed upon her lips. She would beat the Slytherins at their own game, she decided; after all, it wasn’t as though they had a monopoly on being sneaky.

She would do exactly what she had promised Harry, she would give them a chance, but she would make the most of having her enemies so close and keep an eager eye on them. She was sure that sooner or later they would show their true colours and then she would be there for Harry when they did. That would set things right between her and Harry, she was sure.

Feeling pleased with her new plan of action, Ginny smiled to herself. Of course, there was no time like the present, so she grabbed her book bag from by her feet and threw it over her shoulder as she headed for the table occupied by the two sixth year girls.

“Hi,” Ginny said as she reached the table, plastering a mildly curious expression on her face; it wouldn’t do to appear too keen after all.

Hermione and Pansy both looked up from what appeared, to Ginny, to be a Potions text book, with mildly surprised expressions; clearly they had been so caught up in what they were doing that they had not even noticed her approaching them.

“Oh, hi there, Ginny,” Hermione greeted with a warm smile. “Would you like to join us?” she asked without hesitation, gesturing to the empty seats across from where the two of them were sat.

“If you don’t mind,” Ginny said, consciously making the effort to smile just a tiny bit wider to show she was glad for the offer. “Ginny Weasley,” she said, holding out her hand as she introduced herself to Parkinson; in for a Knut, in for a Galleon, she figured.

“I know who you are,” Pansy told her bluntly, looking both somewhat amused and baffled by the whole situation. “Pansy Parkinson,” she said, introducing herself in return as she took the offered hand and shook it firmly.

Ginny dropped into the seat across the table from the two girls and started to pull out what she needed for her Transfiguration essay. Given that she was going to be stuck in the library playing nice with this Slytherin girl for a while, she was going to at least get some homework out of the way at the same time; hopefully she could persuade Hermione to check it over and maybe even get a higher grade than she was expecting.

“So... what are you studying?” Ginny asked, leaning over her own work to peer at the papers and books spread out in front of the sixth year girls.

Parkinson paused halfway through the note she was making and looked up at Ginny. “Potions,” she told her bluntly, apparently unimpressed by the interruption, before going back to what she was writing. Hermione was looking between the two of them a little anxiously.

“Oh, are you good at Potions?” she asked, doing her very best to sound interested and even a little impressed; she was okay at Potions but it was not a subject that came naturally to her unlike it seemed to for some.

“Not particularly,” Parkinson said, looking up at her with a bemused expression for a moment before going back to her work once more. It had always seemed odd to her that so many people assumed that Slytherin was synonymous with being good at Potions. It was likely due to Snape being their Head of House, but it wasn't as though it was assumed that all Gryffindors were good at Transfiguration.

It was proving much more difficult to attempt to be friendly with the Slytherin girl that Ginny had anticipated but she wasn't giving up yet. “What are...?”

“Ginny!” Hermione interrupted snappishly before the red-head could finish her question. “I am glad to have you sit with us but we are trying to study," she pointed out, gesturing to her half-written essay. "And it looks like you have homework to be doing too,” she added with a nod at the books and parchments that Ginny had taken from her bag.

“Right, of course; sorry,” Ginny apologised with a disarming smile, turning back to her work and ignoring the amused, smug smile that Pansy was barely even attempting to conceal. It hadn't gone as well as she had hoped but at least they hadn't asked her to leave, and so she told herself that she would just have to make a point only to interrupt the other two when she had a question about her own studies from now on.

-#-

Ron was looking for Hermione, not having seen her since breakfast and having grown bored of playing gobstones with Seamus and Dean; he had a fair idea where she was likely to be though and so was making his way towards the library. However, he hadn't expected to find a familiar Slytherin boy standing next to the entrance when he got there.

“Zabini?” Ron asked curiously as he approached the other boy, who was seemingly watching something in the library, a pensive expression on his face.

“Weasley,” Blaise greeted without shifting his gaze away from where he was looking.

“What are you doing?” Ron asked with obvious suspicion as he moved over to stand next to the Slytherin.

“Wondering just how worried we should be,” Blaise explained cryptically with a nod through the doorway to the library, in the direction he was still looking.

Ron followed the other boy's eyeline and quickly spotted the table in question. Surprise was written all over his face as he realised what he was seeing; Pansy Parkinson was sitting with not only Hermione but Ginny too, and it looked like they were actually managing to work together... civilly.

“Shouldn’t we be happy that everyone seems to be getting along?” Ron asked, clearly not believing his own words.

Blaise finally tore his eyes away from the girls to give Ron a withering look. “You think that Pansy and Granger learning to work together is going to end well for anyone other than them?” he asked with a smirk. “Add to that dangerous pairing your devious little minx of a sister and I think we should all be running for cover before this little coven starts hatching any real plans.”

“Don’t call my sister a minx,” Ron scolded, but the effort was half-hearted, his attention on the trio of head-strong women that the Fates had pushed together. He was reticent to start agreeing with any Slytherin but he could definitely understand Blaise's concerns.

“What we looking at?” Harry asked curiously as he and Draco came up behind Ron and Blaise, rather surprised to have found the two of them together; not that he had any intention of discouraging this apparent new-found camaraderie.

“The end of the world as we know it,” Blaise said casually, turning to smirk at the couple that had just joined them; though he couldn't help but roll his eyes when, from the swollen lips and Harry’s even messier than normal hair, it was quite obvious exactly what they had been up to.

Harry looked quite confused by that, while Draco seemed mostly amused by his friend's tendency for overly dramatic statements, and so both peered into the library to see what Blaise was referring to. They easily spotted the odd female gathering at the table across the room.

“That’s great,” Harry said happily, turning back to Ron and Blaise with a pleased smile on his face.

“That looks like trouble waiting to happen,” Draco corrected, continuing to watch the way that Hermione and Pansy seemed to be discussing something quiet intensely, both of them pointing out sections in the book in front of them.

“I really hoped never to have to say this, but I agree with Malfoy on this one, mate,” Ron told Harry, looking quite disgusted with himself. “Ginny and Hermione are deadly pair when it is just the two of them, add Parkinson...”

“...end of the world as we know it,” Blaise finished for him, miming a big explosion, causing both Draco and Ron to chuckle in amusement.

“Oh, come off it,” Harry said incredulously, as he glanced back at the three girls in the library. This was what he had wanted, his closest friends to get along amicably with Draco's, so he really didn't understand the problem. “They are just studying together, what could be the harm in that?”

“It is a really good job you’re gay, Love,” Draco said with an amused expression, patting Harry on the shoulder rather patronisingly, “because you are completely clueless when it comes to women and the dangers they pose.”

“I am not!” Harry insisted, looking slightly offended and crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at his mate. This, however, just caused Blaise and Ron to laughed and Harry turned his steely gaze on them.

“Oh come on, Harry,” Ron said, trying his best not to laugh even more, “even I am not as oblivious as you when it comes to girls and stuff.”

“Damning words, if I ever heard them,” Blaise muttered to Draco under his breath, and the blond snorted with amusement.

“Well I am not going to stand here and spy on our friends,” Harry declared with no small amount of annoyance. “And if this means that Ginny is going to accept the way things are, and sets a precedent for a bit less aggression between houses, then personally I am all for it.”

And with that Harry turned and walked away, leaving the other three to stare after him, looking somewhat stunned at the outburst.

“Well he sure told us,” Blaise muttered, throwing a thoughtful look at the three girls, who were still studying, oblivious to the discussion about them.

Draco sighed. “I probably should go speak to him,” he said, though he made no move to follow his mate. He too let his eyes drift back to the table in the library, mulling over Harry's words.

“Erm, Malfoy...” Ron said hesitantly, watching the blond with confusion. “It will probably be easier to speak with him if you actually go find him,” he pointed out when Draco turned to give him a derisive look.

“Funnily enough, Weasley,” Draco sneered, fanning out his wings impressively, “I am aware of that. However, simply because you aren't going to be the one facing Harry’s foul mood doesn’t mean you have to be quite so hasty to push me over the cliff,” he stated imperiously.

Blaise snorted, far too used to Draco's self-importance to think much of it. “Come on, Weasley, let’s go join the little study group and leave Draco to work himself into a temper to match Potter’s,” he said, gripping Ron’s arm and bodily dragging the rather alarmed looking red-head into the library.

-#-

Harry wasn’t really sure why he was quite so annoyed with the attitude the others had had to the girls spending time together. It wasn't that they had sniggered and made fun of his understanding of girls, he was more or less aware they were probably right on that front and so it really didn't bother him at all.

However, he had been genuinely pleased to see Parkinson and Hermione working together in the library, and perhaps even more significantly, that Ginny was sitting with them and, at the very least, not causing trouble. Only that delight had been dashed pretty quickly when Draco, Blaise and Ron had dismissed, and even made jokes about, what he thought was great progress.

Of course he had no delusions that things between Gryffindors and Slytherins were going to suddenly be straight forward, or that the Ginny was suddenly going to strike up a friendship with any of Draco’s friends, but it was progress.  He was sure that it was going to take a lot more for Ginny to even remotely trust them, but the red-head was being true to her word and giving them a chance; for Harry, that was enough for now.

He cursed the absence of his cloak as a strong gust of wind swept across the castle ground, making him shiver. He bit his lip in thought for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at the castle, but he wasn't ready to go back up there just yet.

Instead he pulled out his wings, using a quick spell, which he had finally mastered after much practice, to allow them to pass through the back of his robes without causing damage. He curled the large mass of green feathers around his shoulders. He couldn’t help but smile; he had been kind of perturbed by having wings to start with but now that the shock had long since worn off, he was growing to like them. And they were practical too, it seemed, as he felt himself start to warm up.

He didn't remember making a conscious decision to leave the castle in first place and had more been wandering due to his need to get away from the others for a bit; now that he stopped and thought about it though, he realised that he was half way to Hagrid’s hut. He came to the conclusion that his subconscious mind had probably thought a conversation with the half giant would do him good and so headed off across the grounds.

He ignored a the few looks he was getting from other students, presumably because he had his wings out, and he was just thankful that there weren't many people outside, despite it being the weekend. He rapped on the large door once he reached the hut and smiled as he heard Fang whine pitifully inside.

“Give us a minute,” Hagrid’s gruff voice called out, followed by the sound of wood scraping against the stone floor, which Harry suspected was from the large man pushing his chair back as he got up. A few loud, heavy footsteps later, the door was pulled open.

“Hi,” Harry greeted, looking up at the huge man, a wide grin on his face.

“’Arry!” Hagrid exclaimed happily, obviously surprised to see him standing there, though he did seem honestly pleased to see him, and Harry didn’t miss the way that the half-giant's gaze hung on his wings with eager excitement.

“Got time for a cup of tea?” Harry asked the groundskeeper, knowing him well enough to be sure he wasn't going to be turned away.

“Course,” Hagrid told him, stepping aside to allow him into the small house. Harry folded his wings up behind his back so that he could fit through doorway and headed inside.

Fang was curled up on a rug near the fire and lifted his head to watched Harry cautiously as he entered; the dog whining again when Harry shuffled his wings to make taking the seat Hagrid had offered him more comfortable.

Hagrid stoked the fire burning in the large grate and made quick work of filling the kettle and placing it over the flames. The hut always felt comfortable to Harry, just like Hagrid’s company did he supposed. Maybe it reminded him of the wonder and joy he had felt when the groundskeeper had swept in and turned his life on its head; whatever it was, it calmed his frayed nerves and allowed him to relax.

“You look good,” Hagrid told him, taking a seat in the chair across the table from Harry, the wood creaking somewhat ominously. “Happy,” he clarified, seemingly unconcerned about the stability of his furniture.

“I am,” Harry assured the other man with a smile, thinking about how good things had been with Draco lately, how easy they had come to depend on each other, how much their lives had come to revolve around each other. That thought had the smile faltering though. “Well, mostly,” he amended with a sigh.

Hagrid frowned at that, looking concerned. Although he said nothing, his expression told Harry that he was hoping for an explanation; Harry was grateful that the groundskeeper wasn't pushing for one though.

“I am happy,” Harry reiterated honestly, not wanting Hagrid to worry too much, “it’s just..." He let his words trail off, his face scrunched up in thought as he tried to work out how to explain. "I guess I kind of feel... I don’t know... obligated to make sure everyone else is happy too; like it is my fault if they aren’t every bit as happy as I am with Draco.”

"Don't be daft," Hagrid told him, looking genuinely confused by the confession but was interrupted when the kettle started to whistle. "How could that be your fault?" he asked as he got up to make the tea.

“I guess it isn't really," Harry admitted, "but I still feel guilty that I am so happy with Draco, when our being together makes things so much more complicated for our friends. And they are being great,” he added quickly, not wanting Hagrid to get the wrong idea. “Ron and Hermione have just accepted everything, accepted Draco, more or less without question.”

“They’re your friends, ‘arry; course they accept Draco,” Hagrid told him, as he placed two large mugs of tea on the table and added a plate of dangerously homemade looking biscuits, which Harry knew better than to try to eat. “I would bet they’re even ‘appy for ya and all.”

Harry chuckled softly, appreciating Hagrid putting it so bluntly. “Yeah, you’re right," he told him, thinking fondly of his two best friends. "Ginny is less pleased though,” he added, and even to his own ears he sounded a bit like the petulant child Snape had accused him of being, on more than one occasion.

“Well, it ain’t no secret what she feels for ya,” Hagrid said with a knowing expression that made Harry blush a little, focusing on the cup of tea in front of him rather than looking up at the half-giant. “But you ‘ave none of them obligations to her, ya know," Hagrid pointed out. "She needs to find out her own ‘appiness, and not by costing you yours neither.”

Harry smiled; it seemed that his clever subconscious had known just what he needed after all. It was amazing how much better he was feeling after just a ten minute conversation with the groundskeeper. “Thanks, Hagrid,” he said earnestly.

“Think nothing of it,” the half-giant instructed, with a dismissive wave of his hand and so Harry just gave him a warm smiled and sipped happily at his tea. “So, what’s it like ‘aving wings?” Hagrid asked with unbridled enthusiasm, leaning forward in his chair to peer closely at the array of feathers.

Harry laughed, and began trying to describe their pros and cons as best he could, feeling all the annoyance he had felt before the visit fading away.

-#-

Draco scowled in frustration at having failed to locate his mate. He knew that Harry wouldn’t have gone very far, or at least not off the School grounds, but that still left a large area, which he didn’t have any hope of searching by himself; and he had already exhausted all usual the places he could think of to look for his absent boyfriend.

He wasn’t really sure what was annoying him more, Harry's disappearance or that he had felt the need to try so hard to find him. It wasn’t as though he had any doubts about Harry’s love for him, nor that he would turn up before long, but Draco was somewhat chagrined to discover that not knowing where Harry was left him feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

“Oh dear, the wrackspurts seem to have rather taken a liking to you,” a dreamy voice said from behind him and Draco turned to see the odd, blonde girl who had predicted that his child was a girl skipping along the corridor towards him.

“Erm... excuse me?” Draco said, his brow furrowed with confusion, having no idea what she was talking about; though Harry had said she was a little crazy but still seemed to trust her.

“Wrackspurts," the blonde girl said again, as she came to stop just in front of him, "they are what is making your brain all fuzzy,” she told him, as if such a thing should have been obvious.

“Erm... right...” Draco said slowly, not really any clearer on what she was talking about; if he didn’t know that this girl was a friend of Harry’s then he would have already made a hasty retreat for fear of his safety.

“I would suggest flying, as sometimes that can shake them away, but I suppose that wouldn’t be good for the baby,” she said thoughtfully, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself than to Draco.

However, Draco’s eyes widened in realisation. “Flying," he mumbled to himself. "The quidditch pitch.” He shook his head at his own stupidity; he was surprised that he haven't thought of it before. Harry was probably down by the quidditch pitch, letting off steam.

“Have a nice day, Draco. Say hello to Harry for me when you find him,” the girl said, and she gave him a joyful wave as she skipped off passed him down the corridor.

“I will," Draco called after her. "And thanks... erm...” He trailed off, his brow furrowed in thought as he realised he had couldn't remember what the girl's name was. She really was one of the strangest people he had ever met.

Shaking his head, part in confusion, part amusement, he turned and headed back the way he came, taking the quickest route he knew out of the castle and to the quidditch pitch. However, he was barely out onto the grounds before he spotted just the person he had been looking for heading towards him.

Harry looked mildly windswept and, much to Draco’s delight, he had his wings out. Harry didn’t take them out often, particularly in a public places given his dislike of people fawning over him, not to mention how cumbersome the huge appendages could be; so much so that Draco was actually a bit jealous that Harry had to option to hide his.

Draco paused for a moment, taking in the sight, marvelling at how the sunlight flickering off the various shades of green made Harry look truly magically. ‘Mine,’ he thought smugly.

“Hey, you,” Harry greeted as he approached his mate, and now they were closer it was obvious to Draco that he was smiling.

“Feeling better?” Draco asked, as if he couldn’t see the answer to that written all over Harry's face, his mate's arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him in close.

“Much,” Harry told him, the word sounding close to a relieved sigh, before leaning to steal a chaste kiss. “Were you looking for me?” he asked.

“Was I...?” Draco asked incredulously, unable to even finish his own sentence, instead settling for  growling at his and giving Harry's chest a good slap with the back of his hand. “Yes, I was damn well looking for you," he told him huffily, "though granted perhaps it was my own stupid fault for not working out you would be at the quidditch pitch.”

“I was at Hagrid’s actually,” Harry corrected, pulling the clearly miffed blond in closer. He smiled fondly as he felt Draco relax against his chest, his arms holding his mate securely as his fingers brushing against the feathers of his submissive's folded wings.

“Hagrid’s?" Draco asked with confusion, pulling back just enough to look his mate in the eye, though unwilling to break the contact that was giving him gentle tingles of magic. "The groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher?”

“Yes, he is my friend,” Harry said sternly, the look he gave Draco an obvious challenge to dare to say anything about the large man. Draco, however, said nothing and just settled for running his fingers against Harry’s wing feathers.

“You know,” Draco said, a contemplative smirk on his face as he tilted his head to look Harry in the eye, “flying really does sound like fun right now.”

“Draco...” Harry said slowly, with a definite hint of regret.

“Oh, I didn’t mean on a broom,” Draco quickly added with a devious smirk, spreading his own wings out behind him.

Harry pulled Draco away from him, holding his half an arm's length away, wanting to be able to look at his mate properly, to see what he was thinking. “You want to fly with your wings?” Harry asked, looking sceptical and anxious.

“Well that is what they are for,” Draco pointed out with an obviously mocking roll of his eyes. “And before you start panicking, you might want to remember you will be there to catch me should anything go wrong... And I promise not to go very high,” he added when Harry still didn’t look convinced.

“I’m not sure that...” Harry started to argue but he was quickly cut off by his mate.

“It’s alright for you,” Draco snapped, starting to get annoyed, “you get to go flying, play quidditch, be team captain! But me? No, I'm not even able to get on a broom without endangering our child,” he pointed out, giving Harry a light shove to get him to release his grip around him. “And you don’t even have to keep your wings out. Do you have any idea what it is like walking around with wings on your back, taunting you about being stuck on the ground?” Draco demanded.

Harry stared at him, blinking in surprise at his boyfriend's rant, not at all sure how they had got to Draco being so angry, so quickly. He supposed that he hadn't really considered how that would be for Draco and he could see the point the blond was trying to make; he could only imagine how frustrated he would be feeling in Draco's shoes.

“I had no idea it meant so much to you,” Harry told him softly, reaching out and taking Draco’s hand in his own. “Why didn’t you say something before?” he asked. He had thought that they were doing a good job of being open and honest with each other.

“I... I don’t think I realised,” Draco said slowly, letting out a sigh as he leaned against Harry's chest again and releasing his hands so that he could wrap them around Harry’s waist. “I wasn’t hiding it or anything,” he assured him.

Harry chuckled, running his fingers through Draco's hair, enjoying their closeness. “Okay, good," he said, "because you promised not to hide from me, remember?” he teased.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember,” Draco said, hiding his smile against Harry's chest, enjoying the affection he was getting from his mate; Harry was pretty good at pampering, Draco had to admit, though he wasn't going to say so out loud. “So can we?" he asked after a few moments.

Harry let out a slow breath as he mulled it over. He wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of letting his pregnant boyfriend go flying but Draco was right, he would be there just in case. At least this way Draco wouldn’t try to sneak off and learn to use his wings on his own, when Harry wouldn’t be there to help.

Making up his mind, he tipped Draco's head to look at him; it seemed that Harry’s agreement was written on his face because Draco was grinning up at him happily, in a way that he never would in front of most people, before Harry had a chance to say it out loud. The blond just continued to look pleased with himself as he leaned up and pressed their lips together, making Harry wonder if it had just been Draco's plan to distract him, as the dominant's thoughts became hazy with the desire in their kiss and the gentle sensations of the magical transfer.

Reluctantly, Harry pulled himself from their kiss. “Come on then, you,” he said, rolling of his eyes at his boyfriend's enthusiasm and, taking Draco’s hand, he led them off towards the quidditch pitch.

“Where are we going?” Draco asked, though he didn’t show any hesitance in allowing Harry to all but drag him across the grounds.

“I thought you wanted to fly,” Harry reminded him, turning to walk backwards so that he could smirk at his mate. “I figured we should go somewhere a little more isolated, so the first time you try this it isn't  here, in full view of the school,” he pointed out, gesturing towards the castle shadowing over them.

“Are you implying I won’t succeed first time?” Draco asked with mock horror, as Harry turned back around and picked up their pace.

“I have complete faith in your ability to hide any mistake that you might ever make,” Harry said, letting out a joyful laugh.

“Hey!” Draco protested as they made their way onto the empty pitch; though, truthfully he was almost a little flattered by his boyfriend's remark.

Harry just laughed again, coming to a stop and pulling Draco into his arms again. “I am just teasing, love,” he assured the blond, stealing another kiss when Draco’s pouting lips proved to be just too tempting.

The quidditch pitch was large and empty and, more importantly, surrounded by stands that towered high all around them. Harry was hopeful that they would keep them sheltered from the unwanted prying eyes, which would have otherwise sought them out. Harry also hoped that they would keep Draco from flying off too far once they got into the air, because he suspected that it would be far too easy to get carried away.

“Okay," Harry said sternly, looking his mate in the eye to make sure he had Draco's full attention, "one rule if we are doing this, you do _not_ fly beyond the stands,” he told his boyfriend, glancing up at the raised seating all around them.

Draco nodded without hesitation and Harry was fairly sure that his Slytherin was only just managing to keep himself dancing from foot to foot with impatient excitement; he found it rather endearing, but since he knew full well that he would have been even more excited, had their places been reversed, he said nothing about it.

“And by beyond, I do mean no going higher than them either,” Harry added with a fond smile, wanting to make that perfectly clear. He wanted this for Draco but the Erote part of his brain, the part that tended towards obsessively protective, was putting him on edge.

Draco rolled his eyes over-dramatically. “I am not some child you need to babysit, Harry,” he pointed out with exasperation. It definitely irked him somewhat that he felt the need to have Harry's approval for this at all but he was glad to have his mate there, because, deny it as he might, he did have his own anxieties about what he was about to try and do.

“I am aware," Harry told him seriously, not sounding very amused at all. "You are, however, carrying _our_ child,” he pointed out, not that it was something he thought Draco was likely to forget.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Draco conceded, sounding defeated, which was not at all the reaction Harry had been going for.

“Draco,” Harry said gently, hoping that he hadn't ruined this for his mate before they had even started. “I will make sure nothing happens," he promised. "I want you to enjoy this.”

“Catch me if I fall,” Draco demanded happily, kissing Harry quickly before  spreading his wings and jumping.

Harry’s breath caught in his throat for a second when the blonde left the ground, however, flying seemed to come as instinctively to Draco as it had to Harry all those months before, when he had flown across the Great Hall. As he tried to convince his heart to calm back down, he watched with pride as his stunning mate flew with his wings for the first time.

He waited only a few moments before the desire to join Draco became too much, as so he spread his own wings and felt out for the magical currents, and before he knew it he was following Draco up into the air. It suddenly seemed like complete madness that they hadn’t done this before, that they had waited this long to fly with their wings like this, let alone fly together.

Harry easily caught up with Draco, given the blond wasn't trying to fly particularly quickly, and flew around him, letting his fingers trail over his mate's arse teasingly as he passed.

“Oi!” Draco yelped loudly, turning to glare at his boyfriend.

It was hard to hear, as the wind blew around them, but Harry’s grin said everything and made Draco roll his eyes and laugh. It was easy to forget their troubles when up in the air; flying had always been freeing for Harry and this felt even more pure than when using a broom, and then sharing it with Draco... It was magical, literally.

They flew and flipped, turned and barrel rolled, glided and revelled in the bliss that was the wind in their feathers. Even with the wind against their ears they could hear each other's joyful laughter. Harry had always thought Draco's wings were beautiful but seeing them in action was something else altogether. Draco was having similar thoughts about Harry's and was currently struggling a little with the fact that his trousers were fitting him a lot less comfortably than they had been earlier.

They stayed up there for the best part of half an hour but by that point Draco was getting tired and so he landed carefully, Harry following him back down to the ground only a few seconds later.

"That was amazing!" Harry exclaimed happily, a huge grin on his face as he hurried over to his mate and pressed a kiss to Draco's temple. "I am _so_ glad you suggested it." He couldn't believe how relaxed he felt, and threw his arm over Draco's shoulders as the two of them headed off the pitch and started back towards the castle.

"Well maybe you will learn to not question my wisdom in future," Draco said snobbishly but the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth belied the arrogance.

"Harry!" a familiar voice called out and the two of them looked up from their shared moment to see a rather flustered looking Lupin, hurrying across the grounds, with Tonks just a few paces behind him.

"Lupin, Tonks," Harry greeted happily, either oblivious to or ignoring the annoyed expression on the man's face. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?" he asked, looking between the two of them for answers, now he realised just how stressed the werewolf looked.

"Nothing, everyone's fine," Lupin told him a little irritably. "But where were you?" he demanded to know.

"Oh, we were just at the quidditch pitch, it's fine," Harry said casually, with a shrug, "we didn't leave the grounds or anything."

"It's not fine, we had no idea where you were!" Lupin exclaimed, calming a little when Tonks put her hand on his arm. "We are supposed to protect you."

"We couldn't find you, and then when none of your friends seemed to know where you were either..." Tonks explained, and Draco nodded his understanding. Harry, however still looked a bit baffled by the whole situation.

"How are supposed to protecting you if you insist on heading off on your own and disappearing without telling anyone?" Lupin asked, starting to feel less stressed now that he could see that Harry and Draco were perfectly safe but wanting to make sure this didn't happen again.

"But we didn't disappear," Harry snarled, as his temper began to rise, "we were on the school grounds, well within all the wards. We just went flying, we were fine," he insisted.

"Flying? Is that safe for the baby?" Tonks asked in a whisper.

"Not on broomsticks, with our wings," Draco explained quickly, trying not to be offended that she would think that either he or Harry would endanger their own child like that.

"Harry!" Lupin said, apparently annoyed about that as well. "You went flying with your wings? I thought you were trying to keep a low profile."

"We went to the quidditch pitch," Draco snapped, feeling his temper starting to build as well. "No one saw us."

"And it isn't like the other students haven't seen our wings before anyway," Harry pointed out. "They all know we are together and, to be honest, right at this moment I can't think of a single good reason to even try to hide what we are any more," he ranted, pissed off that his good mood had been spoilt.

"You-Know-Who will..." Lupin tried to point out, but Harry had had enough.

"Voldemort can go fuck himself!" he yelled in a fit of rebellion. "That... man can't get to us here and is still going to hunt me whether he knows about me being an Erote or not. And it is hardly a secret about me and Draco, so he has probably heard about that already too."

"Harry has a point, and even if he hasn't heard yet, he will soon," Draco added calmly, his hand automatically going to his belly. "Once people realise I am pregnant, that is going to hit the papers quickly."

Tonks and Lupin were just staring at the pair of them like they were crazy, neither of them really sure what to say to that. Harry and Draco weren't wrong but that didn't mean that it was wise to be so careless with their secret.

"I know you will probably hate this idea," Harry said hesitantly, turning to his boyfriend as his nervousness eased some of his earlier anger, "but maybe we should talk to the papers. At least that way we would get to control what is said; a pre-emptive strike, so to speak."

Draco cocked his head a little, looking thoughtful for a moment as he considered the suggestion, ignoring the fish impression that Lupin seemed to be currently doing as the man apparently completely failed to find words. "That's actually a pretty good idea," Draco agreed, sounding impressed.

"Well you don't have to sound quite so surprised about it," Harry teased, reaching out and taking Draco's hand. "Come on, I am sure our friends will want to be involved in working out what to tell everyone. Catch you later," he said to Tonks and Lupin as he and Draco headed off.

Draco chuckled. A plan, plans were good, Draco was definitely a fan of nice, well thought out plan; and the ones which Harry took control of were even better, not least because powerful I'm-in-charge-here-Harry was surprisingly sexy.

As Harry and Draco quickly made their way back towards the castle hand-in-hand, Lupin couldn't help but feel that that discussion had gone way off the rails somewhere along the line. The young couple were really not doing good things for his health; he wasn't sure he had worried this much since his school days of trying to keep James and Sirius from getting themselves or someone else killed.

"You should worry less, dear," Tonks told him, leaning into his side, nudging him to get his attention.

Lupin turned to look at her. "That is my best friend's baby boy; do you think I would ever forgive myself if something happen to him or his young family?"

"Exactly, they're young, let them have fun," Tonks suggested, actually feeling rather impressed by how the two of them were handling the whole situation for the most part. "Harry isn't stupid, he isn't going to put Draco in any situation that he isn't sure is safe; trust him, trust them both."

Lupin frowned; he didn't like it, not one bit, and he was terrified that he would fail Harry the same way he failed Sirius, James and Lily. He had failed them all, he even failed Peter in a way. He wouldn't fail Harry too, he couldn't.

"We will protect him... protect them; I promise," Tonks said, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You'll see; it'll be okay."

Lupin did his best to ignore the obvious attentions that Tonks was giving him but his traitorous body flushed his cheeks red without his permission. She was young, too young for him, and he knew it, but he couldn't deny that she was really something quite special.


	21. Endeavour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 21; Well I was right, this chapter was a nightmare and my first version was not suitable for public viewing however, after a complete rewrite of quite a lot of it, I am finally done (and it is even a bit longer than usual).  
> I thought that as you have all been so wonderfully patient I would make you wait no longer and get this up straight away. (so I haven’t even started chapter 22 yet)
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

Hermione opened the door with some trepidation, but as she entered the Room of Requirement she couldn’t keep the proud smirk off her face at what it had created in response to her request for somewhere to meet and discuss strategy.

“It looks like some kind of conference room,” she said, as she took it all in. There was a long boardroom table in the middle of the room, surrounded by very comfortable-looking black leather and chrome chairs. Along one wall was a sideboard on which was arranged a vast array of sandwiches, biscuits and cakes, as well as jugs of pumpkin juice and pots of both coffee and tea.

“What’s a conference room?” Draco asked curiously not having heard the term before and Hermione launched herself into an explanation.

Rolling his eyes, knowing a long, boring monologue would follow , Ron made a beeline for the food. Draco seemed genuinely interested and Harry and Ginny also knew better than to interrupt Hermione now she was on a roll, so instead helped themselves to drinks before taking seats at the table.

“...so, anyway, this should be perfect for what we need,” Hermione finished up as she took a seat next to Ginny. Draco nodded his agreement, as he in turn sat next to Harry, giving his mate a grateful smile for the cup of tea that was already poured and waiting for him.

“Awesome, I’m starving,” Ron declared, as he too found a seat, put his rather full plate down in front of him, and started to tuck in while they waited for the others to join them.

Harry was quite enjoying being back in the Come and Go room, as the elves called it. They had originally planned to just go back to Harry and Draco’s room; however, as soon as they had started discussing who to include, putting together a list of who was already in on their secret, it quickly became clear that there was definitely not going to be enough space.

“Can’t we just use that room on the seventh floor?” Draco had suggested, when Harry had complained that nowhere was going to give them the privacy they needed. The others had quickly concurred.

It had been surprising to see just how many people already knew that they were Erotes but if they were going to go public with everything, then they were going to need each and every one of their friends by their side. Harry had asked Dobby to take notes to each of those invited, with a request for their presence, and so now they just had to wait for Pansy, Blaise, Vince, Greg, Dean, Neville, Luna and Seamus to join them.

“So you want to put together a press release?” Ginny asked sceptically, her eyes narrowed, fixating on Draco. Harry and Draco had mentioned vaguely what they were thinking but had wanted to focus on gathering everyone together before discussing it in any detail.

"That's the general idea," Draco commented pompously. He had sat himself almost regally, at the end of the table furthest from the door, and was sipping elegantly at the tea he had just poured. There was no way that Draco didn’t know that he was already irritating Ginny but that just seemed to encourage his smugness; the only thing keeping her in her seat, with her tongue in check, was the promises she had made to Harry.

 “Well it did work well before,” Hermione said thoughtfully, half to herself as she helped herself to a biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table, her hand coming up to cover her mouth when a few crumbs tried to escape as she bit into it.

“Exactly, that’s what I was thinking,” Harry said happily, smiling at Draco in the seat next to him as he rested a hand on the blond’s knee.

The possessiveness of the gesture was not lost on Draco and the submissive he didn’t even try to lie to himself about how attractive he found that; his purple wings twitched joyfully as he felt a undeniable spike of arousal when Harry’s fingers tightened subtly on his leg. Draco would have easily believed that his boyfriend was oblivious to how he affected him, if Harry hadn't been looking at him with a knowing smirk; and damn if that wasn’t one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. It was a smirk a Malfoy could be proud of; Hades, it was a smirk that this particular Malfoy _was_ proud of.

“Erm, Harry... I don’t want to rain on your parade,” Ron said slowly, sounding a little worried and the others in the room all turned to look at him in question.

Now that he had been snapped out of his reverie, Draco realised that the direction of his thoughts had not been advisable given their current company and he would deny the blush that was creeping over his pale skin until his dying day. He was just glad that it seemed Harry and his friends were too focused on Ron to notice his new slightly pinker colouring, or were at least smart enough not to comment on it.

“Have you told mum about everything yet?” Ron asked Harry after a moment, giving his best friend a wry smile.

Harry paled, his eyes widening and mouth hanging open a little as he realised that Ron made a very good point, because he had been so focused on Draco and their friends that he had completely forgotten to spare a thought for those outside of Hogwarts. “Crap!" he exclaimed, looking every bit as concerned as Ron. "She will kill me if she hears about this in the papers.”

“She is probably going to kill you already, for not having told her sooner, to be honest,” Ron told him with a shrug, picking up and biting into one of the last of his sandwiches.

Harry turned to glare wryly at his friend. “Well I am glad to see you are taking my impending doom so casually,” he told Ron drily, leaning back in his chair and looking to the ceiling, trying to work out how he was going to explain having kept this hidden from her for months; it really hadn't been something that he had meant to do.

Draco rolled his eyes at his mate's dramatics. “Surely it won’t be _that_ bad,” the blond insisted dismissively. He knew that parents could get a little crazy sometimes but she was still just one woman.

The Gryffindors turned to stare at the him as though he had just declared himself the reincarnation of Helga Hufflepuff. Harry let out a groan, leaning forward and rested his head on the table, and Draco thought he heard a quiet whimper.

“That bad...? Really...?” Draco asked sceptically, a single eyebrow raised in disbelief. However, none of them laughed like he was half expecting, none of them seemed to be amused, and he started rubbing Harry’s back in an attempt at comfort.

“Molly Weasley can be kind of scary sometimes,” Hermione admitted softly, as though worried that the woman would hear her and come barging though the door any moment.

Ginny scoffed at that. “A bit more than kind of,” she corrected, grimacing at the memories of times when she had been on the wrong end of her mother’s wrath; she had a great deal of sympathy for Harry and only hoped that she might go easy on him, given he wasn't technically her child.

“She doesn’t like it when her kids keep things from her,” Ron added, with a nervous glance at Harry, who was now gently banging his head against the table.

“And she considers you one of her children, I take it?” Draco asked, trying his very best to not be amused by these brave Gryffindors being so obviously scared of the woman; either he had greatly overestimated their courage or else Molly Weasley was far more of a force to be reckoned with than he had believed could be possible.

“I am sure she will understand," Ginny assured Harry, trying to be supportive. "Though you better write and ask her to come and visit,” she instructed, “and soon. I am sure Dumbledore will allow it given the circumstances."

“Ginny’s right,” Ron said, putting on his most brave and supportive face, and Harry looked up at him with a scowl. “Your best bet is writing to mum as soon as possible and ask to speak to her in person; unless you have a particular desire to be on the receiving end of a howler when she reads this on the front page or hears it somewhere else,” he added with an unrepentant grin.

“Yeah...” Harry mumbled, knowing that Ron was right. He turned to look at Hermione, who was holding out a piece of parchment. "Yeah, okay," he agreed, taking it from his friend with a look of apprehension.

Draco, retrieving a quill and ink from his bag, placed them  front of his dominant with a wry smile.

"No time like the present, right?” Harry said as he picked up the quill and dipped it into the ink well, taking a calming breath as he mulled over what exactly to write.

“That’s the spirit, Harry,” Hermione encouraged, her show of optimism somewhat tempered by the look of sympathy in her eyes.

Harry did feel a little guilty for not having spoken to Mrs Weasley about it, given how much she had always cared for him; that he had come into an inheritance, bonded and now had a child on a way was about as big of a deal as it could get after all. He hadn't meant to not tell her it was just that he had honestly forgotten, with how busy and complicated his life had become.

He stopped himself at that thought. ‘Okay so maybe that isn’t the argument to go with,’ he told himself; it was unlikely that 'I forgot about you' wasn’t going to win him any bonus points with anyone. However, he was at least going to make sure to tell her himself, and in person too like Ginny had suggested; hopefully that would count for something.

Harry paused with the quill just above the parchment and looked up at Ron. “Does she even know about Draco?” he asked, wondering just what reason his best friend had presented to explain his absence at Christmas.

Ron looked thoughtful, trying to remember what had been said to his parents. “I don’t think we mentioned anything specific,” he said with a shrug after a few moments, glancing at Hermione and Ginny for confirmation, both of whom nodded.

“I think she knows something is going on with you,” Ginny added quietly and Harry felt another pang of guilt for shutting his adoptive family out as much as had.

“I told her you just needed some time,” Ron told him with another shrug; his mother had simply seemed concerned, “so yeah, she probably knows something is going on and is waiting for you to be ready to tell her.”

Harry smiled at that, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. It wasn’t like Mrs. Weasley would be really angry at him, she would probably just rant a bit about letting them help him and then pull him into a hug and forgive him; at least he hoped so.

Maybe he would take Draco; perhaps then she would get so distracted with asking the handsome blond questions and welcoming him to the family, that she would forget to be mad. Harry did have to admit to himself that really was wishful thinking. It would probably be better if he could get Dumbledore to agree to them being allowed to go to a family dinner, where everyone could meet Draco properly; his adoptive family deserved at least that.

Shaking off those thoughts though, he focused his attentions on his letter to Mrs Weasley. The others left him to it, snacking on the food and beverages that the Hogwarts elves had provided. He was just putting the finishing touches to his letter when the others started showing up.

It was Crabbe and Goyle who arrived first; it was quickly apparent, from the way the pair of them stood awkwardly close to the door, that they still weren’t yet used to spending time with so many Gryffindors. Draco found it rather amusing how his friends' large and intimidating size made them look a lot like nervous guards.

Rolling his eyes, the blond drained the last of his tea and placed his cup on the table, giving a quick gesture to Harry to refill it before getting to his feet. His mate gave him a smile and a nod, and Draco headed over to his two friends, letting his wing ‘accidentally’ catch Ginny’s shoulder as he passed her.

Ginny looked up with a puzzled expression on her face. “Is Blaise going to be joining us?” she asked quietly to no one in particular. Hermione and Ron turned in sync to look at her curiously; Harry, however, narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend, his suspicions confirmed when Draco looked back at him and gave him a wink.

Harry fairly was sure he was the only one in the room who was able read Draco well enough to see how pleased the blond was with himself in that moment, or at least the others seemed too distracted to notice. Harry had to admit that his mate had played that well, given they didn't want Ginny to figure out what they had planned for her; at least, not yet.

“He was waiting for Pansy,” Greg said quietly, looking a little puzzled about why it seemed that no-one else was going to answer. “He said they would be here soon,” he explained, Vince nodding in agreement next to him.

“Oh, right. Okay...” Ginny responded, though she seemed a bit confused about why she had cared enough to ask in the first place, much to both Harry and Draco’s increasing amusement.

“Come on, sit down already the pair of you,” Draco ordered, herding the two burly Slytherins further into the room and they both took seats and stiffly nodded their appreciation when Hermione levitated cups of tea in front of each of them. Draco returned to his own seat next to his mate and accepted his own, now refilled, cup back from Harry, along with a chaste kiss.

It was Luna who turned up next, practically skipping into the room just a few minutes later, her radish earrings bouncing, as she took the empty seat next to Hermione. “Hello,” she said happily as she smiled around at the others, swinging her feet under her chair.

The whole effect made her look rather like a restless child and Harry thought he actually felt younger for her presence; it was too easy with everything going on to forget that they were still all teenagers but there was something about Luna that made the world feel more simple and he was glad to have her there.

“How did you manage to get rid of all those nargles, Draco?” Luna asked curiously, when no other conversation was forth coming.

Harry choked slightly on the tea he was drinking and most of the other’s turned to look between Draco and Luna with confusion. Draco, however, was smiling; an amused smile for sure, but he still looked pleased with the question.

“I took your advice,” he told her happily, finding himself quite entertained by Harry’s most peculiar friend. "I went flying."

“Flying?” Hermione gasped out, looking shocked and a little horrified as she leaned forward against the table. “What about the baby?”

“Like I would let him get on a broom,” Harry scoffed, tutting at his friend's panic; his protective instincts would never have allowed Draco to do take such a risk.

“Or as if I would endanger my unborn child like that,” Draco said sounding quite annoyed, his hand instinctively resting on his belly, as though the action would protect the tiny being growing there. “I used my wings,” he told her proudly.

“Really?” Ron asked, suddenly interested in the conversation now. "What was that like? I bet that was awesome!"

“I didn’t think that your wings would be large enough to actually fly with,” Hermione said sounding a little awed and looking curious. "I mean, I know Harry sort of flew across in the Great Hall, and has sort of glided with them but your wings are significantly smaller and..."

“You're thinking like a muggle, Hermione,” Harry told her with a chuckle, rather amused by how much she was over thinking it, even after all the years that they had spent in the wizarding world. “We fly with magical currents not just muggle science."

Ron, Ginny, Vince, Greg and Draco all looked rather confused but Hermione nodded her understanding, with a silent ‘oh’ forming on her lips; Harry could see that she was already itching to go and do research on the subject and gave her a fond smile.

“So you and Luna know each other?” Ginny asked, looking at Malfoy with suspicion. She was having trouble hiding her disgust at the lengths Malfoy seemed to be going to in order to make Harry trust him, even hanging out with Loony Lovegood. It seemed a bit too far-fetched that he would willingly associate with the girl but she hid her mistrust as best she could, knowing how badly Harry would take it.

“I think ‘know each other’ would be a bit of an exaggeration,” Draco admitted with a shrug, looking entirely unfazed, and Luna nodded her agreement. “We just happen to have spoken a couple of times recently and she helped me work out where to look for Harry the other day,” he added, giving the blonde girl a grateful smile.

“But you told her about being a... you know...?” Ron asked, glancing nervously at Luna as he leaned over the table a bit and speaking in a whisper.

Harry leaned over the table too, smirking in amusement. “Everyone here knows, Ron,” he said in a very loud mocking whisper, winking at his best friend. “But no, actually Luna was just being Luna and figured it out all by herself,” Harry told them as he leaned back in his chair, sending a huge grin towards where Luna was sitting.

“Did we miss the party?” Seamus asked as he, Neville and Dean finally arrived, the three of them looking rather surprised at the odd collection of people gathered in the room.

“Not a party, Seamus,” Harry told him in an amused monotone.

“Aww, Harry,” he said, putting on his best puppy dog eyes and pouting, “always spoiling all my fun.”

“Do I even need to tell you to ignore him?” Dean asked Harry in his ‘why do we put up with him’ voice, Neville chuckling and shaking his head next to him.

Harry chuckled and just indicated  the empty seats down the table; Hermione seemed to be taking her self-appointed role of hostess seriously, perhaps because the room was her creation, as she started pouring tea into three more cups, levitating them to their three friends.

“So... what is going on?” Neville asked,  as he accepted the tea from Hermione and helped himself to a biscuit as he, Seamus and Dean all took seats at the table.

“We are just waiting on Pansy and Blaise," Harry told his friends, "and then we will explain it all,” he promised, not wanting to have to repeat stuff when the two Slytherins did get there.

“Pansy and Blaise?” Seamus asked curiously, his voice mocking as he leaned forward against the table to wink at Harry, “I knew you were getting real cosy with one Slytherin, but on a first name basis with Parkinson and Zabini too? Sounds like you are getting cosy with the others as well.”

Draco snarled at the implication, his wings spreading out behind him but Harry reached out and squeezed Draco's knee, to calm his mate and keep him in his seat. Harry knew his friend well enough to know that Seamus was just playing, even if Seamus' surprise at the use of the first names had been genuine.

“I would say we are working on being friends,” Harry told the Irishman casually, shaking his head in fond disbelief of his housemate's filthy mind. “Slytherins aren’t so bad really,” he added with a playful smirk in Draco’s direction. “Ouch!”

Draco had kicked him under the table, not particularly hard but enough that Harry was sure he was going to have a bruise on his shin the next morning.

“I take it back, they’re evil,” Harry corrected, reaching down to rub at the sore patch on his leg “What was that for?” he demanded, glaring at his mate.

Draco made a huffy sound. “For mocking me and my fellow Slytherins,” the blond told him unapologetically, arms crossed over his chest.

“I was teasing, Love,” Harry told him, feeling slightly confused by Draco’s overreaction. “You aren’t really mad at me are you?” he asked in a quiet and genuinely worried voice, but with everyone else in the room remaining silent, it seemed likely they could hear every word.

“No, not really,” Draco admitted in an even quieter voice,  “I am just being a grumpy bastard... Sorry.” The final word was so quiet that Harry had to guess at it from the way his boyfriend’s lips had moved, but given the audience they currently had, he didn’t begrudge his mate that and squeezed Draco’s hand in acceptance.

“Erm... so should I go get a knife so we can cut the tension in here?” Pansy asked from the doorway, where she and Blaise had just entered unnoticed, the latter now frowning at Draco with concern.

“Glad you could join us,” Harry said, tearing his eyes away from Draco’s glare to smile at the last two of their friends. “Have a seat,” he said happily, waving a hand at the empty chairs next to Vince and Greg.

“Draco, what’s going on?” Pansy asked worriedly, referring not only to their reason for being there but to the expression on the blond's face; though she didn't really expect her friend to explain the latter in front of all these Gryffindors.

Draco took a deep breath to calm himself; he knew he was probably being irrationally emotional and he had every intention of blaming it on hormones, but that didn’t change that he felt tense and on edge. “Harry and I are considering letting the world know what we are,” Draco told her as he watched her and Blaise move around the room to take seats at the table.

“Really?” Pansy said quietly, lowering herself into her chair slowly. They had not been expecting that, if the surprised expressions that most of the occupants of the room were suddenly wearing were anything to go by.

Draco and Harry both nodded in confirmation, and they were inundated with questions and protests from all directions. “Just hear us out,” Draco requested, holding his hand up to quieten his friends.

After a few seconds they stopped talking all at once, looking to the two Erotes for answers. Vince and Greg were easy to read, as were the Gryffindors, but Blaise’s face was too blank, so there was no telling what kind of emotions he was covering up and Pansy’s lips were pinched shut; Luna was a mystery as always. Draco gave Harry a nod.

“Draco and I think this is for the best," Harry told them firmly. "However, each and every one of you is someone we have trusted with this already and we value your opinions,” he explained; most of their friends were still looking puzzled, though Luna was smiling at him warmly. “And that's why we would like your help in deciding exactly what to say and how.”

Draco nodded his agreement to this, sipping some more tea; he was happy to let Harry take control of the situation. Blaise and Pansy would likely challenge him on this later anyway, so it was more important to get Harry's friends on board right now.

“You can’t honestly think this is a good idea, Draco?” Blaise said with forced calm, waiting a few seconds for reaction that didn't come before turning to glare at Harry. “Are you seriously going to put Draco and your child in harm’s way?" he demanded to know. "For what? To ease your guilt for keeping this from your loving public?”

“Blaise!” Draco exclaimed angrily, slamming his hand down on the table, his best friend's dark gaze returning to him as he did his very best to cast a wandless wordless hex at Blaise with just a glare. He knew that it was asking a lot for his friends to trust Harry but they knew that his mate would never deliberately harm either him or their child, and he strongly resented the implication otherwise.

“No, Draco, it’s okay,” Harry told him, placing a hand on Draco’s arm, hoping to calm his submissive before either Blaise or Draco said something they regretted, though he couldn't help but  flinch a little when the steely grey eyes redirected at him. “He has a valid argument," Harry pointed out, "the whole purpose of keeping this quiet was to keep you from becoming a target.”

“But it is hardly a secret that we are together," Draco argued back in clipped tones, "so that makes me a target already. I don't see how this will put me in any more danger than I am already in."

“And when the Dark Lord finds out that you’re carrying Harry’s child...?” Pansy demanded, pausing to let that sink in for a few seconds. “You think that he isn’t going to do everything in his power to get to you?”

Draco opened his mouth to say something but snapped it back closed again a moment later, glaring down the table at the Slytherin girl. He was reluctant to admit it, but he did feel she might have a point there; Harry was also looking contemplative next to him.

“Isn’t that likely to pretty much become public knowledge fairly soon anyway?” Ron asked casually, looking from Harry, to Hermione, and then to Draco. “You know, with the whole getting fat thing,” he added, miming a large belly.

“Ron!” Hermione and Harry exclaimed in outrage, ignoring the sniggers that Seamus was trying to suppress and Draco gasped at the nerve of red-head, pressed his hand against his heart as if he had been physically hurt and looked away.

“What?” Ron asked innocently, apparently genuinely confused about what he had said wrong.

“As insensitive and oblivious as my brother is, Ron kind of has a point," Ginny said before someone could start ranting at him, and everyone turned to look at her. "I just mean that you will start showing in a few months,” she pointed out, “it isn’t like you can hide this pregnancy indefinitely.”

“Draco won’t be getting fat,” Harry told them through clenched teeth, knowing that with Draco’s already slightly off mood, this was likely to make things worse. “His body will change to accommodate our child, yes, but I won’t have _any_ of you lot turning something as beautiful as this pregnancy and our baby into something negative.”

Ron flushed at the chastising words of his best friend and Ginny at least had the good sense to look apologetic, something that seemed to amuse a few of their friends; Pansy was looking particularly pleased. Draco even managed to stop frowning long enough to give Harry a small grateful smile.

“Beside," Harry went on determinedly, "Draco will not be setting one foot outside of Hogwarts’ wards, unless we are one hundred percent sure of his safety, until after the baby is born.” Draco nodded in agreement, prepared to tolerate his mate's protectiveness while there were such threats out there.

“Okay," Blaise said with what sounded like frustrated indulgence, "so you don’t think You-Know-Who could get people into the castle?” he asked, in a tone that made it very clear how stupid he thought they were being.

“Not without inside help,” Draco said slowly, mulling it over; a kind of darkness glinted in his eyes as he thought about the fact that it was supposed to have been him providing the Dark Lord with that. “Does he have inside help?” he asked a few moments later, looking between the Slytherins at the table.

Pansy sighed, letting out a breath slowly. “We don’t know,” she admitted a little sadly. “It is too well known that we are your friends, and if anyone is helping him, they are actively keeping us out of the loop,” she explained.

Draco nodded, not really surprised to hear that and far too grateful to have them on his side to actually complain about it at all. “Vince, Greg?” he prompted, hoping that they might not have been excluded to the same extent.

“They've never told us much,” Vince said with a shrug. "Still don't."

“I haven’t heard anything,” Greg added. “Would have told you if I had.”

Draco smiled and gave a nod of appreciation at the words of loyalty. He knew that neither of them had ever been greatly trusted by the Dark Lord or his Death Eaters, and so hadn't really expected anything from either of them. He and Harry had taken a chance on every person in this room though, and so far they hadn't been given reason to regret doing so.

“Not sure who it would be if he does have someone here,” Pansy said thoughtfully, glancing at Blaise next to her who gave a very small shrug, “but I can’t believe that he doesn't have _anyone_ in the school.”

“You think there’re Death Eaters in the school?” Dean asked, though his voice sounded shaky, Seamus too was looking shocked by this revelation.

“You mean other than Snape?” Neville said quietly, looking nervous.

The silence that followed that was heavy and no-one quite seemed sure what to say; the only sounds were those of several of them slipping tea or crunching on a biscuit as quietly as possible, the clinks of cups being placed back on saucers sounding loud in the quiet of the large room.

“Professor Snape is no danger to either me or my baby,” Draco assured them after a few minutes but it was obvious that not many people in the room really believed that.

“I trust Snape with Draco’s life,” Harry told them sternly, his friends sharing concerned, sceptical looks with each other. “You are just going to have to trust me on that, even if you can’t trust him.”

While most of them still didn’t look convinced by this, they said nothing to argue against it, and so Harry took that to mean they would at least place their trust in him. For now that would have to be enough.

“The point is," Harry went on, wanting to change the subject, "Draco and I want to control how and when this is announced to the public," he explained before turning to the only Ravenclaw in the room. "Luna, I was really hoping your father would agree to publish another exclusive.”

“I am sure he would be delighted,” she told him with an excited, enthusiastic smile. "I will write to him and ask, if you would like me to."

“The Quibbler?” Ginny asked incredulously. “I thought you wanted people to take this seriously, Harry.”

“Your father works for the Quibbler?” Pansy asked Luna with a look of disapproval, before Harry even had a chance to say anything.

“Oh, he owns and edits it actually,” Luna said dreamily, as unfazed as ever.

“And you,” Pansy went on, ignoring Luna and turning her fierce gaze on Harry, “you want to put this story in that... that...?”

"Luna is our friend, so watch what you say, Parkinson,” Ron warned, not about to let the Slytherin girl speak badly about her or her family's publication, not when Luna had been so loyal to them.

"Girl Weasley's got a point though," Blaise said, giving Ginny a handsome smile, causing her to narrow her eyes at him, "no one's going to take it seriously."

“The Quibbler published Harry’s story before," Hermione pointed out, cutting Ginny off before she had a chance to start arguing with Blaise, because that really wouldn't help anyone.

 “Are you actually serious about this?” Draco asked Harry with an annoyed scowl that likely would have had anyone else running away.

Harry, however, managed to just smile back at his mate. “I am serious," he told Draco calmly. "Who else could be trusted to publish exactly what we want?” he asked; he didn't think they could trust the Daily Prophet, not given the things that they had published about each of them in the past.

“Okay, while you might have a point there, if we give the Quibbler this story then no-one will believe it," Draco insisted, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned back in his chair and sounding quite frustrated with the whole thing already. "Erotes are not going to come across any more believable than any of the other stories in that rag.”

“Okay," Harry said, biting his bottom lip as he mulled it over and realised that Draco might be right; it wouldn't help anything if it just sounded like another of the Quibbler's tall tales. "What do you suggest?” he asked, leaning back in his chair, opening up the floor to Draco if his mate really could come up with something that would work.

Draco’s lips thinned to a line, his brow furrowed as he thought it over. He didn’t really know what to suggest and it seemed that this whole coming out to the world thing was providing a lot more problematic than he had envisioned.

“You could release a general statement to all major publications and then give the Quibbler an exclusive with the pair of you,” Blaise suggested quietly. He was still not completely on board with the reveal but, as they were obviously going to go ahead with it whether he agreed with it or not, he at least wanted to make sure that they controlled the situation as best they could.

 “Hmm...” Draco hummed thoughtfully, considering the suggestion and trying not to feel too frustrated with himself for not having thought of it first. “That could work,” he said, glancing to Harry to see what his mate thought of the suggestion.

“Excellent,” Harry said happily, clapping his hands together. The Prophet would just make fools of themselves if they released anything in contradiction to the articles in other publications, which would give them the control that they needed. “Now we just have to work out what to actually say.”

“Great,” Ron groaned sarcastically, slouching back in his chair.

-#-

“Severus, I really wish you would stop this nonsense,” Lucius sighed, brushing his hand over the potion master's hair as he sat down on the edge of Severus' bed, looking down at the man prone there. “He has called you three times in the less than a month.”

Severus Snape had floo-ed back directly into his rooms at Hogwarts, landing on the floor in front of the fireplace, his body twitching wildly; he had only barely managed to summon enough energy to release the bars on Lucius’ room. The blond had rushed forward and swept Severus up into his arms, urging the man to remain conscious.

Stubbornly Severus had refused to be sent to the Medical Wing, despite Lucius' insistence that the potion master needed to see the nurse, and so Lucius had been left with no choice but to carry him carefully through to the bedroom. He hoped that the man would at least allow himself some recovery time.

“That isn’t that unusual,” Severus replied quietly, his voice weak as another uncontrollable shudder rippled through his body; his voice was strained and he could barely open his eyes as he lay on top of his bed covers, Lucius wiping his forehead with a cool damp cloth, trying to ease his headache.

 “It is when he has nothing new to tell you," Lucius argued with a frown. "Besides, how long are you going to be able to survive him using the cruciatus curse on you repeatedly? It is obvious he doesn’t trust you anymore. That isn't going to change, not unless you are going to tell him where I am being kept.”

“ _That_ will never happen,” the potion master snarled, forcing one eye open to glare pathetically up at the blond man leaning over him.

Lucius chuckled at that. “I hope that you know me better than to think I would actually suggest you turning me over,” he said with a smirk. “Surely you do not consider me some Gryffindor fool?”

Severus visibly relaxed and closed his eye again. “Of course not,” he assured the older man; he wouldn't have considered doing such a thing anyway, even if Lucius would agree with it.

“So, was tonight the same?” Lucius asked calmly, despite how much it disturbed him to see his... boyfriend? The term sounded far too childish for his liking. He wasn't sure that lover really fit either, he realised, but that was something they would have to discuss another time.

“More demands for me to obtain your location, or else bring you directly to him,” Severus told him, keeping his eyes closed. “Though thankfully he still does not appear any the wiser about Draco’s relationship with Potter; other than the usual enquiries about Draco and Narcissa, with the intent of locating you, he does not mention him.”

“That is both confusing and a source of great relief, I will admit,” Lucius replied, moving  around to the other side of the bed and climbing onto it so that he was sat next to Severus, intending to keep the man company for as long as the potions master would allow.

“Someone must be doing something to hold back news of Draco and Potter’s relationship,” Severus said with a thoughtful frown, “but to what end?”

“Does the Order of the Phoenix have that kind of control?” Lucius asked sceptically, thinking that likely they would be the ones with the most motivation to do so.

“Possibly...” Severus said but even though he didn’t seem entirely convinced; admittedly Albus was a very well respected and connected man, so that was plausible. “Who else would care to keep such things quiet?” he pondered.

“I am not sure,” Lucius replied quietly, “not something I ever relish having to say. Is this not something you have discussed with your precious headmaster?” he questioned, thinking it odd that Severus was discussing this with him rather than Dumbledore.

The potion master scowled darkly; the trust he had in the old man was wavering and he suspected Potter’s was as well. Dumbledore seemed to know a lot more than he was telling either of them and that made him reluctant to talk to the headmaster regarding this matter.

“Interesting,” Lucius simpered, apparently reading a lot into Severus' expression and if Severus had felt up to opening his eyes at that moment he would have seen the smug look on the other man’s face. “Either way, you can’t keep doing this," Lucius insisted, "he is going to kill you.”

“I have to,” Severus told him simply.

It was not the first time Lucius had told him to give up spying but he knew how valuable the information he was gathering was, even when it was so limited. He would just have to find another way to earn the Dark Lord’s trust back; not that he had any ideas on that front so far, though admittedly the after effects of being held under the cruciatus curse didn’t aid logical thought.

“Whose side are you on, Severus?” Lucius asked with eyes narrowed in suspicion; he didn't understand why Severus felt such a commitment to being a spy for Dumbledore and the Order.

“I am on my side, Lucius,” Severus told him, forcing his eyes open to look up him. “ _Our_ side, I hope.”

Lucius smiled and leaned down to kiss Severus. “Sometimes I think that you are truly the most Slytherin of us all,” he told him.

Severus snorted in amusement and managed a small and rather feeble smile. “Perhaps," he agreed. "Do you honestly believe that either the Dark Lord or Dumbledore will act in our best interests? Or even Draco’s interests, or your grandchild's, for that matter?”

“No, I do not,” Lucius conceded, “not given the recent turn in events.” He had never really trusted the Dark Lord but he had at least believed that the Dark Lord's plans for their world were for all their benefit; now, however, their needs were too greatly misaligned.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Severus sneered. “The Dark Lord never cared what happened to you, and cared even less what happened to your family; you were his pawns and if Draco hadn’t become bonded with Potter then you still would be.”

 Lucius was a master of schooling his face to be emotionless and as soon as that mask slipped into place, Severus knew that he was testing the man’s temper; however, that wasn't going to keep him from speaking his mind on this.

“You think I am wrong?” Severus demanded, shifting to sit up slightly in the bed, cursing when his left leg twitched again, reaching down to dig his fingers into the muscle, trying to massage the pain away. “You believe that the Dark Lord is going to be able to take control of the wizarding world? That this will end in the changes you want?”

Lucius’ expression remained unreadable, even to Severus. “It hardly matters anymore, does it," the blond pointed out, his harsh tone the only indication of the irritation and bitterness he was feeling, "the decision was taken out of my hands."

Severus let out a long, slow breath. “Lucius...” the potion master said, it was the closest he would let himself come to pleading. He didn't mean this to turn into a fight, didn't want to push the other man away, but it seemed that he was managing to mess it all up anyway.

“I am tired," Lucius said curtly, slipping off the far side of the bed with grace. He steeled himself before turning to look back at Severus, who was still lounging on the bed, the body spasms seeming to have mostly stopped. "And you seem to be recovering well,” he added tersely.

“I always knew you would find something to hate me for,” Snape said coldly, turning his head to the other side, unable to look at the man who was making excuses to escape his bed.

“I do not hate you,” Lucius insisted with a brisk voice, his hands pressing down into the mattress as he leaned over to place an almost aggressive kiss on Severus’s pinched lips.

“No?" Severus challenged, as Lucius stood back up and made for the door out of the potion master's bedroom. "Just running away then?” he suggested; he really hoped that his voice hadn't actually sounded as petulant as it had to his own ears.

“Acting in my own best interests, just like you are,” Lucius corrected angrily, turning on his heel to meet his lover’s eyes with fierce intensity. “Believe me, or not, you are important to me; what we have is important to me and if I stay here now... I will say something I’ll regret.”

“Lucius...” the younger man said softly.

“I am not denying or agreeing with what you have said,” Lucius interrupted, holding up his hand to cut Severus off before the man could say any more. “I am simply not ready to discuss it either way, and so, in the interests of preserving our relationship, I am going to bed... Goodnight.”

Severus had little choice but to sit and watch the other man walk away from him; it was not like Lucius could go far but it was still painful for Severus to see his lifelong fear acted out in front of his eyes. Was this really something they were going to be able to work through? He couldn’t see how if the other man wouldn’t even talk about it with him.

It wasn’t that the two of them had a great difference of opinion regarding the way they would like the world to run but Severus had always believed they had both acted recklessly and foolishly when they had taken the dark mark. They had never really discussed it, but Severus was sure Lucius wouldn't agree. Of course, by the time Severus had  had come to regret it, they were both already in too deep and there had been no point in debating the issue, but that didn’t change how much that day haunted the potion master.

He was so sure that on some level Lucius must have begun to see that no good would come from the Dark Lord and the war he brought with him. Was it just that Lucius really was too proud and arrogant to admit he made a mistake? Severus snorted at that thought; of course Lucius Malfoy would never admit to such a huge error in judgement.

He smiled to himself as he lay back down, wincing as a spasm of pain shot up his spine but doing his best to ignore it, knowing that it would pass soon. When Severus thought about it, it was no surprise that Lucius couldn’t bring himself to agree with the points the potions master was making, but at least the blond had cared enough about their relationship to walk away.

That was what Severus decided he should dwell on, that was the man Severus loved. Severus was undeniably attracted to Lucius' strength and pride and even the man's arrogance, as infuriating as that could be at times, but knowing that the other man cared enough to walk away...

Severus summoned a blanket, pulling it over himself as he rolled onto his side, wincing as yet another spasm caused pain in his back. He smirked sleepily; he still feared for the day Lucius would leave and he dreaded the talk about the Dark Lord and the war they would inevitably have to have again soon, but it didn’t quite seem hopeless as it had many times before.

-#-

Lucius wasn’t sulking; that would be impossible quite simply because Malfoys did not sulk. He would admit that his conversation with Severus had not left him in a particularly good mood but that was hardly _his_ fault. Why couldn’t Severus have left the subject well alone? Did the man not understand how fragile their relationship was? That it was only Lucius’ knowledge that he wanted Severus, everyone else’s thoughts on the matter be damned, that was making this whole thing between them possible.

He was sat in a large arm chair, in what he had come to think of as his room; the bars across the entrance still gaseous from the spell Severus had used to free him earlier when he had needed help. His thoughts were stubbornly stuck on the potions master, who was separated from him by only a couple of walls and doors.

He didn’t understand the other man sometimes, but it was true what he had said before; perhaps Severus was the greatest Slytherin of them all and this was just another mind game, another way to get the power Lucius knew Severus had always wanted.

Lucius sneered in aggravation. He felt a fool for letting himself care so much and yet he was still unable to see what ploy Severus was working; he would figure it out though because Lucius Malfoy was not a man to be played.  Now, however, was not a time for haste. He knew there was no escaping his current prison, which Severus had so cleverly disguised as a home, and so he would play the slow game.

First things first, he needed more information; it was somewhat fortunate he had a lover who would so willingly provide. Lucius looked rather smug as he relished the idea of taking control of the situation again, and, allowing such concepts to ease his mind, he climbed into bed and let himself the peaceful rest of sleep. He was going to need his wits about him if he was to come out victorious.


	22. Encouragement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 22; not much to say, other than I hope you enjoy the chapter.   
> Enjoy. 
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

The atmosphere in Dumbledore’s office was tense. Harry was sitting across from the headmaster, neither of them willing to break the silence into which they had fallen while waiting for Molly Weasley.

When Harry had first arrived, the headmaster had offered tea and lemon drops; but, given that his stomach was feeling slightly jittery, Harry had declined both. Dumbledore didn't seem surprised by this and just gave the teenager a smile, popping a single lemon drop into his own mouth before conjuring a comfortable armchair for Harry to sit in.

Once Harry had taken his seat, Dumbledore had made several attempts at conversation but, after a couple of rather blunt, one-word answers from Harry, the headmaster seemed to get the message and stopped.

Harry felt a little bad for rebuffing the elderly man but he just didn’t feel like talking much. His brain was still trying to work out what exactly he was going to say to Mrs Weasley, who was expected to arrive via the floo at any minute. Besides, he couldn’t help but think that the headmaster’s questions felt as though they were born of nosiness and a desire for information, rather than any genuine concern for either his or Draco’s wellbeing.

He was seriously considering talking with Snape regarding his concerns over Dumbledore’s manipulations, now that he knew that they were both working to keep Draco and their unborn child safe. And wasn’t that quite the turn around after all the years he had trusted the headmaster and doubted Snape. Harry had no idea how many times he had questioned the potion master’s loyalty over the years; it was only recently it had occurred to him to question Dumbledore's.

Harry looked up from the patch of floor he had been staring at unseeing for the last ten minutes and was not surprised to see Dumbledore watching him intently, his gaze calculating. Not for the first time did he wish he had managed to get the hang of occlumency just so he could be sure that the old man wasn’t taking sneak peeks into his thoughts; maybe another thing to talk about with Snape, Harry thought with a mental grimace.

In the quiet of the room they both heard the subtle sound of the flames in the fireplace changing in the way that signalled an incoming traveller, and both turned in time to see the familiar smiling face of the plump red-headed witch as she stepped into the office.

“Harry, dear,” Molly greeted warmly, approaching him with her arms open for her expected hug.

“Mrs Weasley,” Harry said with a delighted grin as he all but jumped up from his chair, eagerly moving into her embrace and wrapping his arms around her. He had really missed her, especially as  he hadn't had a chance to see her at Christmas. “It's really good to see you,” he said quietly.

“You too, dear,” she told him. "Now, let me get a good look at you," she insisted as she pulled out of their hug and held him at arm’s length to inspect him. “Have you been eating enough?” she asked with narrowed eyes that just dared Harry to fib.

Harry chuckled; Draco was pretty good at nagging him on that one too, he thought fondly. “I have, I promise,” he assured her, loving that she cared enough to check and that she knew him well enough to know what to worry about.

"Glad to hear it," Molly told him firmly, but with a pleased smile on her face, before turning to the headmaster, who was still sat calmly behind his desk. Dumbledore was watching the pair of them, as though he was just mildly curious. “Albus,” she greeted.

“It is good to see you, Molly,” the headmaster replied with his usual jovial smile and a small incline of his head.  "Both Harry and I appreciate you coming on such short notice."

"It's no problem," she told him, and looked back to Harry. She gained a pensive look, realising how reluctant the teenager was to start talking, despite it having been on his request that she was even there. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?” she enquired, impressively managing to make her voice both kind and demanding all at once.

“We will not be disturbed or overheard in here, I assure you,” Dumbledore told her and Harry hated how pleased the old man looked with himself; there was no doubt in his mind that the headmaster had very deliberately ‘misunderstood’ Mrs Weasley’s use of ‘we’.

“Oh, come now, Albus,” Mrs Weasley said with a pleasant smile, “I am sure you understand that I would like some time with just Harry and me. I missed not seeing him over Christmas after all and so I am sure there is much we have to catch up on.”

Harry couldn't help but smile at that, feeling glad for the stubbornness of Ron’s mother, and glad that it was being directed at Albus Dumbledore, rather than him... for once. At least the headmaster seemed to at least be wise enough to know a lost cause when he saw one, because he pushed himself up from his large chair and swept  around the desk.

 “You may make use of this office,” Dumbledore told them, a smile still on his face; though Harry did think that the expression was not quite as kindly as it had been only moments earlier. “I am sure a gentle stroll for an hour or so will do me some good.”

For a moment Harry seriously considered raising an objection and suggesting an alternative location; he was concerned that the headmaster might just have ways of eavesdropping on them anyway, like using the numerous portraits that lined the walls. That felt as though he was just being too paranoid though, and it wasn’t as though they would be discussing anything that the headmaster wasn’t already privy to. Besides, he suspected that anywhere else within Hogwarts wasn't actually likely to be any more secure from Dumbledore’s prying mind.

With a lazy swish of his wand Dumbledore conjured a second comfortable chair, much like the one Harry had been sitting in, next to the first. "Make yourselves comfortable," the headmaster said, giving them a tiny bow, which was little more than a nod of his head, before he headed out of the office door and pulled it closed behind him, leaving Harry and Mrs Weasley alone.

“Come now,” Mrs Weasley said softly. “Let’s sit,” she suggested, a gentle hand on Harry's back guiding him towards the conjured seating. Harry went without protest, tugging at his own sleeve nervously as he took his seat.

They sat quietly for a few minutes and Mrs Weasley seemed to be quite happy to allow Harry the time to get comfortable and relax. It was such an easy silence, in stark contrast to the one that had filled the room prior to the Weasley matriarch’s arrival and Harry found that, despite not knowing what to say, he was feeling calmer.

“So, dear," Molly said after a few minutes, once most of the tension had eased from Harry's posture, "are you ready to tell me what is going on that was important enough that you didn’t come home for Christmas?” Her tone was firm and Harry might have thought he was being chastised, were it not for the happy smile she was wearing.

“I’m in love,” Harry blurted out suddenly, without much conscious thought. He could feel his cheeks flushing red and ducked his head to stare at the floor. He had intended to explain about his inheritance first but apparently his brain knew what was really important. “With a guy,” he added quickly, feeling his cheeks warming further with the confession, even though he was sure she wouldn’t think badly of him for that.

"That's wonderful," Mrs Weasley declared fondly and when he managed to make himself look up, she was grinning at him happily. Harry thought that maybe the being in love part was not much of a surprise to his mother figure. "Though I think there might be something more you're not saying," she said knowledgably, a patient smile on her face as she waited for Harry to explain further.

Harry nodded. “It’s kind of complicated, but I’m in love with Draco," he told her. "Malfoy,” he added for clarification when she continued to smile at him supportively, as though there were lots of boys with that name, to whom he could have been referring. “And I’m going to be a Dad.”

 “What?!” she exclaimed suddenly, leaning forward with wide eyes. That news apparently was surprising.

Harry gave a nervous chuckle, knowing that this was the real potential sticking point. As much as he knew Molly Weasley loved her large family, he didn't think that she would be very keen on the idea of any of her children, himself included, becoming teenage parents.

“Harry James Potter, you need to start explaining right now,” she said sternly after a few moments of staring at him in surprise. “And this better be good."

“Oh, as excuses go, this one is a pretty good, I’m sure you'll agree,” he told her with a smirk. _Smirk?_ That had him thinking that perhaps he really had been spending too much time with his mate.

Molly was watching him curiously, waiting expectantly for an explanation. “Harry...” she prompted when no further details were forthcoming.

"Just trying to work out how to explain this," Harry told her earnestly, worrying his bottom lip for a moment. “Okay, I think this might be easier if I just show you,” he suggested, getting up from his seat.  

Harry removed the jumper he was wearing to keep out the January chill that still seemed to get into the castle despite the many fireplaces; at least the extra layer wasn’t strictly needed while they were in the ambient temperature of the office. Looking around the office, Harry assessed the space he had; the last thing he wanted was for Dumbledore to return to a half destroyed office and he wasn’t very keen on injuring a wing either as he imagined that could be quite painful.

Closing his eyes and focusing, Harry slowly and carefully willed his wings out, using the now familiar spells to prevent damage to the shirt he was wearing. It was amazing how normal the whole process felt; it was no longer strange to feel the extra weight on his back or catch glimpses of twitching green feathers in his peripheral vision. He could still remember how easily the latter had caught him off guard in those first few weeks.

“An inheritance...?” Mrs Weasley asked softly, getting up slowly from her seat and taking a few, almost hesitant, steps to stand in front of Harry, who was taller than her now, though only by a few inches.

She smiled, her eyes alive with amazement, curiosity and the same motherly love that she always showed him. There was no fear or annoyance at having been kept in the dark so long, and Harry couldn’t help but be relieved to see that the way she felt about him seemed unchanged.

She reached up, pausing just shy of touching him, and waited for Harry's nod of agreement before she ran a hand gently over the feathers of his folded up wing. “What _are_ you?” she asked in awe.

Harry chuckled softly, feeling a lot more comfortable now that Mrs Weasley was being so accepting; he knew he should never have doubted that she would be but there was always the worry in the back of his mind. It also helped that there had been none of the anticipated telling off; presumably she had known that Harry would come and talk to her when he was ready.

“Draco and I are both Erotes,” he told her, waiting to see how much that statement would mean to her. He hoped that she might at least know some of the legends about them so he wouldn't have to do quite so much explaining.

“Wait... Erotes?” she asked disbelievingly, blinking her surprise, glancing over the large green wings on Harry's back before meeting his eyes again. “They’re real?”

“Apparently,” Harry said, his eyes filled with amusement; it was becoming a familiar reaction.

“When did this happen? Were you hiding this when you came to the Burrow in the summer?” she asked, suddenly sounding worried, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “We all love you, no matter what, you could have told us,” she went on, resting a hand on his arm.

Harry smiled fondly at her. “I know, I wasn’t hiding it then, I promise," he told her earnestly. "I didn’t come into my inheritance until November,” he explained as he retracted his wings and took his seat again.

“November?” she asked with confusion, returning to her own chair. As far as she was aware  inheritances came in on a birthday, once someone reached an age of maturity for the particular creatures in question.

Harry explained to her how his own inheritance only happened because of Draco’s call, about the unavoidable pregnancy and how they had learned to love each other over the last few months. Some of it he found a little embarrassing to talk about but Molly listened patiently, nodding her understanding.

“Goodness," Molly said once Harry was done explaining, "it sounds like you have had a busy few months.”

“I have,” Harry agreed, thinking that that was a rather endearing way to put the last recent months of his life. “I am really sorry about missing Christmas at the Burrow, though," he told her earnestly. "It was just that Draco and I really needed some time together, just us and...”

“Harry...” Molly interrupted, reaching out and gripping one of his hands between hers, “it’s okay. I understand." She smiled at him kindly. "Like you said, you are in love with him and you’re becoming a family, I know how much that must mean to you.”

Harry was a little surprised at quite how teary he felt at her words. He had been convinced in his head that she would not reject him, but the simple acceptance and understanding of his relationship with Draco was a great relief and warmed his heart. He was glad that he didn’t have to explain to her the value of the gift his inheritance had given him.

“It’s all pretty scary though,” he admitted quietly, before he even really meant to. “I mean... I'm really happy, I am,” he insisted, “but we are still in school and with the war and I don’t know who to trust and...” his voice broke and his eyes stung with restrained tears. He hadn't even realised how much he needed someone to talk to about these things until the words had started tumbling from his lips.

Mrs Weasley gave him a sympathetic smile as she pulled on the hand she was still holding with surprising strength, pulling Harry up out of his seat. Harry opened his mouth to ask what she was doing but ended up giving a startled yelp, as she pulled him to side sideways in her lap. He flushed re and tried to stand back up but Molly's arms wrapped around him, holding him there.

“Just let me be the strong one for a minute, Harry, dear,” she insisted, using a gentle hand on the back on his head to encourage him to lean against her shoulder. It took a few moments but Harry started to relax.

It was so strange for Harry, being embraced so carefully and lovingly; he felt embarrassed with the babyishness of the act but it couldn’t deny how nice it was. Just for a moment there was no one depending on him; just for a moment he was able to allow someone else to take care of and comfort him.

“You aren’t alone in this,” she promised him. “We'll help you with whatever you and Draco need. We'll keep you all safe,” she whispered to him.

At that Harry couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped him, nor the tears that followed; he had heard so many promises to keep the baby safe, or Draco, but the overall promise to protect his family, him included, was shockingly emotional. He knew he didn’t have to be responsible for everything with Molly and the rest of the Weasley family on his side; she knew he was still just a boy, still scared.

“Thank you,” he said weakly, sniffling and brushing the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt more than a little awkward as he stood back up when Mrs Weasley releasing her hold on him, and wrapped his arms around himself he moved back to his seat. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“There is nothing for you to apologise for, Harry,” Molly told him affectionately. Leaning back in her chair she started to let her glaze drift around the Headmaster's office, taking in the various interesting objects, giving Harry a moment to gather himself.

Harry wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and took a couple of slow, deep, calming breaths. “I didn’t mean to get all teary,” he said, still feeling a little awkward.

“Nonsense, dear,” she chastised lightly. “We all need a good cry sometimes; it doesn’t make you weak or a failure. And needing a hug doesn’t make you into a child,” she added with a knowing look. "With everything that has been placed on your shoulders, it is remarkable that you manage as well as you do."

Harry smiled at her again, his cheeks flushing slightly at her words. It really was quite amazing how she could read him like a book sometimes. “Well, I am just glad that Ron and Draco weren’t here to see my mini breakdown,” he admitted.

Mrs Weasley tutted at this but made no comment; she had raised enough sons to know that boys were going to be boys. “So tell me, dear," she said, "when am I going to get to meet this young man of yours?”

“Oh... erm...” Harry mumbled, looking slightly thrown by the question. He had been so focused on getting through this meeting and confessing all to Molly that he hadn't really thought much about what would happen after.

“I will just have to have a word with Dumbledore and let him know that the both of you are all coming home for a dinner at sometime soon," Molly said decisively. "We need to give Draco a proper welcome into the family after all."

Harry knew that he wasn’t going to get much say in it, but it wasn’t as though he minded, given he wanted the rest of the Weasleys to have a chance to really get to know Draco; however, he was concerned about the idea of Draco being out of the protection that the Hogwarts castle.

“Perhaps we could go to Grimmauld Place?” he suggested timidly, not wanting to offend. "Nothing against The Burrow but Grimmauld Place has stronger wards. We have decided to give a statement to the Prophet and the Quibbler, so people will know about the whole Erote thing soon,” he explained, “ and I just need to be sure that Draco is completely safe.”

“We can work with that, dear,” she assured him, getting up from her chair and patting him in the cheek. “Now, come on, I will walk with you to the common room so that I can say hello to Ron, Ginny and Hermione while I am here.”

Harry grinned and all but jumped up from his chair, his heart feeling lighter a good deal lighter as they headed out of the office together. He now knew for certain that Molly, the closest thing he had to a mother, was firmly on his side, and not just for the moment, but always, no matter what the future might bring.

-#-

Now that Harry wasn’t sure how much he trusted the Headmaster, he couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the warm acceptance and unconditional assurances of Molly Weasley and the guarded promises that Dumbledore made.

It made it hard to want to continue the meetings with the Headmaster but, of course, he had agreed to them so he couldn’t stop them without arousing suspicion; not to mention that old man was the one with the answers Harry desperately needed. It was a few days later that the Headmaster had summoned him again, and so Harry had gone to Dumbledore's office, already not in the best of moods.

It was late in the evening by the time that Harry came back through the door to the rooms he shared with Draco, a frown on his face as he dropped himself onto the sofa next to Draco. Harry let out a long, sigh, resting his head on the back of the sofa and closing his eyes.

“I take it your enjoyed your evening with Dumbledore then?” Draco asked sarcastically, not looking up from the magazine in his hands, licking the pad of his thumb and turning the page a few moments later.

Harry turned his head and opened his eyes to glare at the blond, not particularly in the mood for Draco's brand of humour. “I honestly don’t understand the point of all these memories he’s showing me,” he grumbled.

“More memories?” Draco asked in surprise, closing the magazine and putting it off to the side as he turned to give his mate his full attention.

Harry nodded once. “Yep," he told him. "One about Voldemort’s mother selling a Slytherin family necklace for almost nothing, ten galleons or something, to Borgin and Burkes. The other was of Dumbledore going to visit Voldemort when he was just a kid at the orphanage where he grew up.”

“And he hasn’t explained why he is showing you these?” Draco asked curiously, a pensive frown on his face as he considered what Harry was telling him.

“Nope," Harry said bluntly. "I guess it could be kind of considered interesting, if you were interested in all this history, but to be honest I wish he would get to the point,” he told his mate. “All I think we've really learned so far is that Voldemort's mother made some pretty bad choices and that, even as a child, he was an arrogant, nasty piece of work.”

“Somehow that isn’t a great surprise to me,” Draco said dryly. He had never heard anyone talk about what the Dark Lord had been like in his youth but he was fairly sure that such a dangerous ego didn't come from nowhere.

“To me neither,” Harry agreed with a nod. “He used to collect trophies from when he bullied other kids at the orphanage," he said with a look of disgust on his face. "Dumbledore seems to think it is particularly significant but we will have to wait and see on that."

Draco nodded in agreement. Again this didn't feel like particularly surprising or revolutionary information but it was clear that the Headmaster knew a good deal more than he was letting on so far.

"And he could use some small amount of magic even when he was what... ten...? Eleven maybe," Harry went on, turning so that he was sitting sideways on the sofa, facing Draco, one leg on the seat, the other foot on the floor. "Just before he started at Hogwarts anyway. And I mean controlled magic, not some accidental outburst."

“Without any guidance?” Draco asked, looking quite amazed and Harry nodded. “That is impressive. what could he do?” the blond asked curiously.

“Move things with his mind and make animals do what he wanted," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders. "He also seemed to love that he could hurt people when they bothered him,” he added, shaking his head slightly in disgust.

"Well that's rather disturbing," Draco said quietly. He had seen many people do horrible things to other people but most of the time they didn't actually enjoy it, though he knew that some did; that the Dark Lord's enjoyment of such treatment of others went back so far was somehow unsettling.

“Very," Harry said, struggling to imagine how an eleven year old could be that disturbed; even after everything that the Dursleys had done to him, he had managed to not become that twisted. "Dumbledore seems to think that he took on the name Lord Voldemort because he hates being ordinary, doesn’t want to be like anyone else," Harry explained, not wanting to think on either his or Voldemort's childhoods any further.

“And this information is supposed to help defeat him?” Draco asked sceptically.

“Well that is exactly what is bothering me. Great, so these memories tell us that he is, and always has been, crazy and dangerous but didn’t we know that already?” Harry said with a sigh; turning back around to sit on the sofa properly and leaning against Draco’s shoulder.

It was all so frustrating; he didn’t want to have to dredge through the hours of memories, filled with tiny titbits of information but Dumbledore seemed to think there was value in it and Harry saw little alternative than to go along with the headmaster’s ‘lessons’. Harry knew he would go through a lot worse than that to protect his family.

“How about a distraction?” Draco suggested, reaching out to grab the magazine he had discarded earlier, before dropping it into Harry’s lap.

“What’s thi...?” Harry started, but he quickly stopped, sitting up straight, as he took in what he was seeing.

The front cover of the Quibbler was largely taken up by a picture of Draco and him from the side, the two of them smiling at each other; their wings were out behind them, half open and disappearing off each side of the page. Their picture selves were too busy watching each other to look anywhere else and Harry felt his cheeks flush at the expression on his own face.

It was a picture that Luna had taken, with help from Pansy, that day in the room of requirement. It was actually a pretty great shot in Harry's opinion and showed none of the nervousness  that Harry remembered having felt while the two girls had bossed them around, telling them where to stand.

“A beautiful picture, isn’t it?” Draco said proudly, leaning against Harry’s shoulder and looking down at the magazine in his mate's hands as Harry's fingers brushed over the image lovingly. “The main article starts on page six.”

“Is this out already?” Harry asked, feeling momentarily panicked. He knew they had agreed to this, planned for it carefully but he felt like he needed a moment to brace himself for it before their secret was handed over to the public.

“Not just yet," Draco assured him. "Luna's father sent us this preview copy to look over, just to make sure we are happy with what it says. The letter he sent said that he intends to publish it tomorrow though,” the blond explained.

“Tomorrow?" Harry said, looking up from the copy of the Quibbler in his hands to look at his mate. "Have you sent off the statements for the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly yet?” he asked. The plan required that the leading publications in the Wizarding World were all operating with the same information at the same time.

“About half an hour ago. I am sure it will be front page news tomorrow,” Draco said nervously. The Prophet had been looking for information on the two of them for a while, so they were likely to milk the statement for all it was worth. “I hope we were right to do this.”

“It’s too late to back out now,” Harry said, his voice sounding tense and Draco could hear his mate's anxiety. They both knew that while they would be able to ask Xenophilius to hold the story, there would be no way of keeping either The Prophet or Witch Weekly from doing exactly what they wanted with what they had been told.  

“So... are you going to read it?” Draco encouraged after a few quiet moments, nudging Harry with his elbow and gesturing to the magazine when Harry look at him.

“How bad is it?” Harry asked, obviously nervous.

Draco rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. “You helped write it, you prat," he pointed out, "you know exactly how bad it is.” They had spent ages working out exactly what they wanted the article to say and Xenophilius Lovegood had actually stuck remarkably close to what they had originally sent him.

“Do I _really_ have to read it then?” Harry asked turning a pleading smile on his boyfriend. He trusted that if Draco had read and not found fault with it, that it was perfectly fine.

“Well you don’t _have_ to,” Draco conceded with a huffy sigh, giving his mate a pointed look, “but this is your last chance to decide if there is anything you want to change.”

Harry grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and opened the magazine. He flicked straight passed the editor’s note and contents page, and ignored what seemed to be an article about werewolves being immune to love potions, quickly finding page six.

He stared at the spread, which had another picture of them, however, Harry didn't remember this one being taken. It was taken from behind and showed the pair of them sitting side by side and leaning towards each other, barely visible behind their twitching wings; it was beautiful and Harry had already decided that he would be asking Luna for a copy of it.

 **‘Erotes – A Legendary Inheritance:’** the large title read, with **‘The Story of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy’** written underneath it in a smaller font. Harry’s first impression was that it was all rather tastefully done and the fact that Draco was not grumbling or complaining led him to believe that he was not the only one who thought so.

The article wasn’t overly long but still covered most of the two page spread. It explained how a submissive Erote called for a dominant but they had agreed to leave out the more private details of the bonding and they made no mention of the pregnancy; they knew many would look up or figure out those details but they were not going to hand out such information on a silver platter.

There were also comments from each of them about how their bond had removed the negativity from their relationship and allowed them to truly get to know each other despite their complicated history. As well as quotes from their friends, saying how their bond was helping to bridge the gap between Gryffindor and Slytherin students and that they were all very glad to see Harry and Draco's happiness, no matter who their relationship was with.

Harry was glad that overall the article left no room for doubt that he and Draco loved each other very much now and that they were happy with their relationship. Of all the things he wanted the article to tell people, it was important to him that people knew that Draco was his and that he was Draco's.

Towards the end of the article though, was a section of text titled **‘The Mysteries of Erotes’** , which definitely had not been part of what they had put together. His brow furrowed in confusion, Harry started to read, his curiosity piqued.

**‘Erotes are truly ancient and highly magical creatures about which very little is known and they are often believed to be fictional. This is likely because they are incredibly rare but probably also due at least in part to the extremely protective nature of the dominants. It is impossible to know how many exist as it likely that submissives are hidden away from the world, particularly during pregnancies.**

**Though many of us carry the potential to become dominants, this can only be called forward by a compatible submissive (see above article for more detailed explanation); as such there are never unmated dominant Erotes. It is unclear what makes a submissive come into their inheritance but there have long been legends that suggest it happens when someone finds them self in particular need of the protection. The stories say that a strong enough desire and need for the protection of a dominant can activate their Erote blood.**

**It is also believed that Erotes are likely the origin of the Cupid legends that exist in both muggle and wizarding words. This is likely due to their loving nature and wings and it is said that they are able to bring great love and fortune to those around them. However, the truth of such tales is difficult to judge.**

**I am sure we are all wondering what other talents or abilities the young Potter-Malfoy couple will develop, however, only time will tell. We can only hope that the stories of good fortune will prove to be true.’**

“Interesting addition to the end there,” Harry said once he was done reading, frowning lightly at the magazine open on his lap. He really wasn't sure how he felt about the extra information being given and he was a little surprised that Draco seemed okay with it.

“At least they didn’t mention anything about my pregnancy or that my wings are only stuck because of it," Draco pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders. "Nor any real details about our abilities or our bonding.” It seemed to him that all the additional part really did was point out just how little was known about Erotes, which would likely be in their favour if anything.

“You are in an awfully good mood, given this was more than we thought they would be publishing,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “Should I be worried?”

Draco gasped in mock horror at the accusation, his hand pressed against his chest. “I will have you know I am actually pretty pleased with this,” he said with deliberate snootiness, pointing at the article and sticking his nose in the air. However, he couldn't keep the act up when Harry snorted with amusement. “Besides," he added with a grin, "why are you complaining about my good mood?”

“Hmm,” Harry hummed, closing the Quibbler and tossing it onto the nearby table. “That is a good point, love," he all but purred, leaning in close to his mate. "I can think of much better things to do with my mouth,” he teased, nipping playfully on Draco’s jaw with his teeth.

Draco growled deeply as arousal shuddered through his body, his wings twitching with desire, and threaded his fingers into Harry’s hair when his mate made an attempt to move away. Harry responded with a chuckle but allowed Draco to pull him forward into a kiss.

Harry moaned happily against his mate's lips as he made quick work of lying them both down on their sofa. Draco gave as good as he got and kissed Harry back with passion as the dominant leaned over the smaller blond. Harry put his legs either side of Draco’s and pressed their hips together and he delighted in the moan and wide-eyed expression he got in response.

“I love you,” he told Draco breathlessly, still close enough that the smaller teen could feel the movement of the air as Harry spoke. The two of them were frozen in the moment, neither of them moving the last inches to press their lips together once more.

Draco was amazed by how quickly Harry could set him on edge, in all the right ways. He could hear his own blood pumping, his breath coming in needy gasps, and he was definitely going to blame it on the hormones but there was no way he could resist kissing Harry for even a second longer and so he leaned up and pressed their lips together. He bit gently on Harry’s lip and used it to lower them back down.

He could feel tingles in his fingers and toes; though whether it was from the magical energy transfer the intimacy was creating or simply the arousing feel of Harry leaning over him, Draco wasn’t sure. Truthfully he didn’t really care much either way, because all he knew was that he wanted more and that they were both wearing far too many clothes.

Draco still had one hand in Harry’s dark locks but the other was tugging almost desperately at Harry’s shirt. He pulled on it, freeing it from the waistband of Harry's trousers, providing access for his deft fingers to trail up the tensed muscles of his boyfriend’s back. Harry moaned as he released the blond's lips and started a trail of kisses along his jaw and down his neck.

“I love you, too,” Draco said, just as breathless as his mate. He moaned loudly as Harry nibbled and then sucked hard against his pale skin, where his neck met his shoulder; Draco thought he should probably be concerned that he was going to have a presumably large and obvious mark there for all to see, but it just felt too good to care.

Draco's slender nimble fingers managed to get both their trousers undone and hw was quite proud of the achievement, given what a good job Harry was doing of distracting him from just about everything. It was only when Harry’s knee nearly slipped off the side of the sofa that it occurred to Draco to pull his wand from his back pocket and widen the seat, which he did quickly before placing his wand on the floor within reach.

Draco lifted his hips and allowed Harry to remove his trousers and pants in one easy move, dropping them to the floor next to them, and then they both discarded their shirts in quick succession. Prior to their mateship, Draco had always believed that being naked like this, beneath his mate, would make him feel vulnerable; however,  in truth, the look of pure desire in Harry’s eyes told him of the power he held, and he revelled in the knowledge that it was he who had put that expression on his boyfriend’s face.

“On the sofa. Really?” a voice from close to the door asked, catching the attention of the two boys.

Harry plastered himself to Draco’s front, using his own body to protect the smaller teen’s modesty. His wand was quickly in his hand, pointing it in the direction of the voice as they both turned to glare at the intruder.

“Blaise!” Draco yelled, in outrage at the interruption, particularly given his current undressed state.

“I just came to borrow a book," Blaise said casually with a shrug of his shoulders, pushing off from the wall where he was leaning and strolling further into the room. "I knocked but didn’t get an answer so assumed you were both sleeping, so I thought I would just...”

“ _Blaise_!” Draco yelled again, interrupting his friend. Harry was still staring in shock, his wand still pointed towards the Slytherin and was feeling very glad that he still had his trousers on at least, otherwise Blaise would have had quite a view.

“I just thought I would pop in and get the book, that you wouldn’t even know I was...” Blaise ploughed on, as though his friend wasn’t lying naked a few feet away, yelling at him from underneath a half-dressed Harry Potter.

“GET OUT!” Draco bellowed angrily, finally losing his patience with Blaise, who was crouching down next to the coffee table and running a finger over the spines of the books stacked upon it.

“Sheesh, Draco, no need to yell," Blaise said calmly, carrying on with what he was doing. "I was going to leave once I realised you were here, but then it was kind of interesting to watch and I couldn't help myself.”

Harry dropped his head on Draco’s shoulder with a groan. “Is he serious?” he asked very quietly; his arousal was ebbing away with the intrusion into their privacy, but he was also still very aware of the nudity of his mate beneath him.

“BLAISE! Get the fuck out of our rooms; RIGHT NOW!” Draco bellowed, his eyes narrowed in anger. “Or I will see to it that you have to inform your mother that you are now tragically incapable of creating an heir,” he added, his voice lowered to a deadly, quiet tone.

The other Slytherin chuckled deeply, still calmly digging through the books on the coffee table, completely ignoring the glares of the two teens on the sofa. "Ah ha," he said as he found the one he was looking for after another moment. Standing back up, he gave Harry and Draco a disarming smile before leaving with a wave over his shoulder. “Have fun boys,” he called out cheerily just before the door clicked shut.

“Did that really just happen?” Harry asked with disbelief, lowering his wand and looking down at Draco.

“Sadly, I am pretty sure it did,” Draco said with a scowl that promised trouble for Blaise whenever he saw him next. “Anyway," he went on, shaking off his mood and smirking up at his mate, "shall we move this to the bedroom?”

Harry glanced nervously at the door for a moment, just to be reassure himself that they really were alone now and then nodded in agreement. Climbing off the couch, he offered Draco a hand up, though his expression lost all its innocence as he ogled the beautiful display of pale skin sprawled across their sofa.

Draco smirked salaciously as he got up and as he moved passed his mate and around the sofa, he made sure to walk slowly as he headed towards their bedroom. When he peered over his shoulder, he realised it was working just as he had hoped, because Harry was still standing by the couch, biting his lower lip and watching the gloriously sexy display.

“Coming?” Draco asked in breathy tones, from the doorway to their bedroom.

“Oh I really hope so,” Harry said, hurrying across the room.


	23. Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 23; this chapter is nothing like I originally planned but it had a mind of its own and as soon as I started writing it, it became this, which I now love and will be very curious to hear about your opinions on.
> 
> Also I officially completed my BEng Electrical Engineering Degree yesterday with a 2:1 (second best grade possible for those of you who don't know) so just thought I would share this good news with you all.  
> Also this chapter takes Erotes over the 100000 word mark; it has been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward to sharing the next 100000 words with you all too.   
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

It was the day that the article was to be released and Harry and Draco had already decided they didn’t fancy sitting in the Great Hall being stared at while they ate breakfast, something which seemed inevitable given they knew what was going to be in the Daily Prophet. As such, the two of them were cuddled up together in their bed, having called Dobby to bring them tea and toast, so that they could eat there.

“We should probably get up,” Draco suggested half heartedly, leaning a little more against Harry to relieve the pressure on his wings. “Missing breakfast is one thing, but skipping, or being late to, class is quite another.”

“Mhhhmmm...” Harry hummed, downing the remainder of his tea. “We could do that,” he said, reaching over to put his now empty cup on the bedside table. “Or we could find something else to do...” he suggested.

Draco rolled his eyes at his boyfriend and went to get out of bed; however, Harry was apparently determined, and probably horny, because in one quick move he shifted to straddle Draco’s lap. Harry was wearing a salacious smirk as he leaned down and Draco was sure that his mate was going to kiss him, but instead the dominant nipped playfully at the blond’s lower lip, before pulling back and grinning.

“Tease...” Draco told him sulkily, putting on an exaggerated pout as he looked up at his mate.

“Oh shush," Harry said with a genuine laugh. "You love it,” he added with a wink.

“Did you...?" Draco started to ask, watching his mate with bemusement for a few seconds before laughing. "Harry Potter, you just winked at me,” Draco declared, giving him a gentle shove against his shoulder, still chuckling softly.

Harry huffed, not particularly liking being laughed at; however, he knew Draco meant nothing by it really and so he settled for silencing his mate with a kiss. Draco moaned as Harry's lips were pressed possessively against his own but he wanted more; he wasn’t sure why it still surprised him because one kiss from Harry always left him wanting more.

Draco wrapped his arms around his mate's neck, Harry's arms around his waist as the dominant moved him down the bed so that he could lie down fully, purple wings spread beneath him. The submissive held his dominant close, his toes curling and gripping the sheets beneath him as Harry’s lips moved from his mouth, across his jaw and down to his neck.

Harry nibbled and sucked at the pale, tender flesh near Draco's throat, drawing a wanton moan from the blond, the wings beneath Draco fluttering gently as arousal swept through the submissive. There would surely be a mark there for all to see but Draco really couldn’t bring himself to care, not when it felt so good; and if he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t care much later, knowing it was proof of how much Harry loved and wanted him.

Harry’s nimble fingers worked their way down Draco’s body, trailing over sensitive nipples and the submissive's still-flat tummy, making Draco very glad that neither of them had bothered with night clothes. The blond squirmed, his wings coming up to wrap around them and actually giggled a tiny bit when the light brush of fingers over his waist tickled; though he gave a manly glare at Harry a moment later to make up for it.

Harry chuckled deeply at that, but quickly leaned in close, pressing his lips against Draco's, and soon Harry’s mouth was dominating the submissive's once more. They pressed their bodies firmly together, such that their hard lengths moved against each other as Harry shifted his hips in a teasing motion that promised so much more.

Draco spread his wings flat across their bed once more as he leaned his head back, breaking their kiss as he gasped for air. “Don’t tease...” the blond ordered, and he was kind of proud of himself when his voice didn’t wobble at all, despite his mate's lips on his neck.

“But you can still form words,” Harry whispered huskily into Draco's ear, pressing a kiss to the blond's temple, “therefore," he went on, chuckling at the gasp his mate gave as he thrust against him, "I am sure you can handle a little more than this."

Harry’s hand slid under his mate’s body and squeezed at the pert, round globes of his arse; Draco moaned lustfully as Harry's lips trailed over his neck and shoulders. Using his wings, he arched his body up against his boyfriend's, as Harry moved further down over his chest, kissing pretty much any flesh he could reach.

“Harry!” Draco commanded, though admittedly the word definitely had a pleading undertone. His whole body was thrumming with arousal and Harry's teasing had him feeling like he was going to lose his mind if his mate didn't do something more soon.

“Bossy today?” Harry asked with a smirk, his fingers teasing the top of Draco’s arse, rubbing down just between the cheeks. “What’s the hurry?” he questioned with an amused and knowing look, enjoying every reaction he could draw from his usually restrained submissive.

“Oh...” Draco said breathlessly, the words pushed out between needy gasps, “maybe that... gah... that we... are... ooh... supposed to be...”

Harry smiled; he loved it when Draco was so aroused that he struggled to even speak. The dominant let his fingers slid further down Draco’s crack and brushing over his hole teasingly; he could feel how slick his mate was and Harry was thankful that Draco’s Erote inheritance made this easier on him.

 “...supposed ... ah... please... to be...” Draco was still trying to finish his sentence but in truth he had already completely forgotten what they were talking about, what he was trying to say.

Harry pulled his hands out from under the blond, pressing them to the soft skin of Draco's thighs. He lifted and parted Draco’s legs, leaving his mate's beautiful little pucker exposed to his lustful gaze; it fluttered and he knew that it was because Draco loved being looked at so intimately. The sight was too tempting though and so he wasn't able to hold out more than a few seconds before he was gently sliding a single finger inside his mate.

"Fuck, Harry," Draco gasped out. "More!" he demanded, trying to push his body down against the pleasurable intrusion.

"I have you," Harry promised, as he happily obliged, sliding a second digit in beside the first. The submissive's hole was tight as it always was but slick with Draco's arousal, and the muscles loosened and relaxed quickly, welcoming Harry into his body. Draco was gasping and begging, his fingers tangled in the bedding beneath him, by the time Harry was moving three fingers inside his boyfriend.

“Harry...” Draco pleaded almost desperately. His mate's fingers felt amazing but it wasn't what he needed right then; he could feel Harry's hard length brushing insistently against his thigh and he was eager to have it buried inside him.

"Yes," Harry agreed fervently and didn’t hesitate a moment longer; he was going to come undone from watching the writhing blond if he wasn’t careful and the need to be joined with his submissive was burning him to the core.

The dominant took his cock in hand and lined himself up, pushing into his mate, and as they joined it felt to Harry like pure heaven; he tried to go slow, not wanting Draco to feel any pain but the submissive had other ideas. Wrapped his legs tightly around Harry’s waist, Draco pulled his mate's erection deeper into his body.

“Oh Merlin... YES!” Draco cried out, as he felt the delicious stretch of Harry pressing into his body.

Harry was nowhere near as articulate as his mate at that moment and let out a startled cry of ecstasy. There was no way he could have moved right then and so it was a few moments before Harry was able to shift his hips; as he pulled back slowly, the smooth friction caused them both to moan with lust before Harry thrust back in with almost brutal strength.

They had long since learned that Draco enjoyed Harry using his strength; apparently the blond was a Slytherin even in bed, and he revelled in the proof of how powerful his boyfriend was, both physically and magically. Bracing himself with his hands either side of Draco's head, Harry used his knees to spread his mate legs just that little wider and pushed himself into Draco's slender body repeatedly.

"Harry," Draco cried out as his mate moved over and within him; the magical energy transfer was electrifying and put Draco into a mesmerising high as Harry’s cock brushed against his prostate, sending different and even more pleasurable jolts through his body.

Harry couldn't take his eyes off Draco as he thrust into his mate; the blond was a glorious sight spread beneath him, lithe, with pale and perfectly smooth skin, in stark contrast to the bed of royal purple feathers beneath him. Draco was writhing and panting with the pleasure that was consuming him, strangled pleas, which were no longer intelligible, falling from his lips.

' _All mine_ ,' Harry thought possessively and it was that thought that sent him surging towards his climax already. Knowing how close he was, he took his weight on one arm and, with the other, reached down to wrap his fingers firmly around his boyfriend's twitching and leaking cock, stroking it as he thrust twice more.

 “Come for me,” Harry ordered huskily. Draco was so close already that he hadn’t needed the command, though he didn’t exactly mind it either. As Harry's hand moved across his aching length, he shuddered, crying out his orgasm, his release coating them both as he felt Harry’s fill his arse.

Harry was gasping for air as he leaned his head against Draco’s shoulder, the submissive also trying to catch his breath. They were both hot and sweaty, not to mention rather sticky and definitely in need of a shower, but it was a few moments before Harry could regain enough control of his muscles to be able to move.

Harry couldn't stop smiling though and, even as the afterglow began to fade, he still felt gloriously sated, feeling wonderfully connected to his mate; however, when he finally felt able, Harry pulled out and rolled off to the side, taking care not to land to heavily on Draco's wing

"That...” Draco said breathlessly, “...was definitely worth missing breakfast for.” He had a decidedly dopey grin on his face as he rolled his head to the side to look at his flushed, naked mate; Harry was smiling back at him just as broadly.

“Definitely,” Harry agreed, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss against his mate's lips, a strong wing wrapping around him and holding him close to Draco. “Though," Harry added, with a mildly amused smirk, "are you going to be able to walk to lessons now?”

Draco grimaced at that; he would be able to, and absolutely didn't regret a second of what they had done, but he had to admit he probably wasn’t going to be comfortable doing so. Maybe they could stay in bed a little bit longer after all.

-#-

Hermione closed her Arithmancy textbook and dropped it onto the coffee table as she got to her feet, when she heard the familiar plodding of Ron's heavy footfalls coming down the stairs from the boys’ dormitory.

Ron smiled at the sight of her as he reached the common room and headed in her direction. “I assume we are unlikely to see Harry and Draco for breakfast this morning,” he said conversationally, given that she was alone, neither of the boys anywhere in sight.

“Do you think that Harry would really want to face all those stares?” Hermione asked rhetorically. She knew full well how much Harry hated the media attention, and wouldn't want to be in the Great Hall when the post owls arrived.

“Oh, right," Ron said, remembering that today was the day that the article about Harry and Draco's inheritance. "I guess not,” he agreed, as they headed out through the portrait together. He still didn't really understand Harry's aversion to his celebrity status, but he at least had learned to respect his friend’s opinion on the matter. “Though I bet some reactions could be quite amusing,” Ron added.

Hermione scowled at him for that. “Everyone in the school already knows they are together though, and that they have a creature inheritance of some kind," she pointed out. "I can’t imagine that the confirmation of their exact inheritance is going to be _that_ big of a deal anyway.” Hermione honestly wasn’t expecting there to be much of a reaction at all, at least not in comparison to the day Harry had flown across the Great Hall.

Ron shrugged; he suspected that Hermione was underestimating the significance of an actual Erote inheritance and how legendary such creatures were. The proof that they were real was going to be quite a shock to many. “I guess we will just have to wait and see,” he said, not wanting to get into a pointless argument over it, particularly as that would just likely delay their journey to breakfast.

Hermione nodded in agreement to that. Waiting was all any of them could do at the moment really. She definitely understood why neither Harry nor Draco would want to be there to witness the initial fallout but, honestly, she was far more concerned about the reactions of some of the adults. She was fairly sure that Dumbledore had been taking steps to keep the couple’s relationship from the headlines and would be less than pleased about the confessional article; she also suspected that Molly would disapprove, thinking that Harry had been reckless.

She knew that Remus and Tonks were both already aware that Harry and Draco were planning to tell the truth to the world but apparently Harry had persuaded them not discuss it with anyone else. Hermione suspected that Harry just wanted to keep them from putting a stop to his and Draco's plans. Hermione had her own doubts, of course, but having discussed it with Harry in great detail, she had simply had to accept that it was his and Draco’s choice.

Secretly Hermione thought the whole thing was brave and she could see the wisdom in it, even if it was perhaps a little reckless. She smiled at that thought; the whole thing did seem very Gryffindor but she also thought that it was probably better to never mention _that_ to Draco.

By the time she and Ron reached the Great Hall, it was clear that the post had already arrived, and neither of them was particularly surprised when a lot of heads turned to watch them move over to the Gryffindor table.

Ron promptly took a seat next to Neville and wasted no time helping himself to food, Hermione slipping into the space on the red-head's other side, her eyes scanning the table across the room.  Hermione spotted Pansy, who nodded in her direction; the simple gesture was enough to indicate that all was going well so far. Taking comfort in that, she too started to help herself to breakfast, keenly aware that a lot of eyes were still focused on them.

“No Harry this morning?” Dean asked Ron a few moments later, glancing towards the large doors as though expecting his housemate to arrive at any moment before looking back to Ron and Hermione once more.

“Apparently not,” Ron told him with a shrug. He wasn't Harry's keeper, and right now they knew as much about where Harry was as he did.

“Well I hardly blame him,” Neville said with a look of sympathy. “I feel pretty uncomfortable with so many people looking over here as it is, and they aren’t even really looking at us. Besides, I imagine that neither of them mind the extra sleep.”

Seamus laughed at that. “I doubt they are _sleeping_ ,” he said with a salacious smirk.

Ron frowned and dropped his spoon back into his bowl. “Thanks for that, Seamus,” he said sarcastically, causing his housemates to laugh. “I _was_ hungry but that has completely ruined my appetite.”

-#-

Pansy looked up curiously as the general chatter and gossiping in the Great Hall seemed to suddenly quieten and spotted Hermione and Ron coming into through the large doors. The attention of most of the students in the hall was on the pair of them, she didn't even bother to hide that she was watching them as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table.

“No sign of Harry or Draco,” Pansy commented to Blaise, who was sitting next to her, not taking her eyes off the two Gryffindors.

As Hermione took her seat, the girl turned towards Pansy, their eyes meeting for a moment and so Pansy just nodded her head. She hoped that was enough for the other girl to get the message that nothing untoward had happened so far. Sure, there had been even more gossiping than usual and several heads had turned in their direction, presumably seeking out Draco, but no-one had made a scene or seemed to be particularly horrified by the new information the Daily Prophet had given.

“Guess they are... _busy_ ,” Blaise said, looking up at Pansy with an amused smile. “Either that or they are recovering from last night,” he added in a salacious whisper.

Pansy turned to him, shaking her head in amusement. Blaise had taken great pleasure in telling Pansy what he had seen in Draco and Harry's rooms when he had gone to fetch the book. “I can’t believe you seriously stood there and watched them,” Pansy said quietly with a little laugh.

“I told you, Harry still had his trousers on,” Blaise leaned in to tell her, as though he was completely innocent and it was Pansy who was being perverse. “Though," he added, his smirk quickly returning, "I am pretty sure Draco was only wearing Harry.”

Pansy genuinely laughed at that and when she cast a glance up at Vince and Greg opposite them, it looked like they were having trouble not laughing too.

-#-

When Dumbledore sat down to breakfast with the other teachers, taking his seat in the middle of the head table, he plastered a warm playful grin on his face; it wouldn’t do for anyone to realise just how frustrated he had been feeling lately.

It had become clear to him that Harry had become distracted, more so than the Headmaster believed was good for the cause; however, Dumbledore knew that there was no separating the young man from Draco now. The two of them were in love, as crazy as that seemed given their history, and were doing a remarkable job of becoming a family.

Under normal circumstances, this was something that would have delighted Dumbledore no end; he truly cared for Harry and felt that more love in the world was a wondrous thing. However, there was nothing normal about the current situation and if they were to win this war then the boy had to be ready to whatever it took, to sacrifice everything.

Remembering where he was and realising that his expression was becoming pensive, Dumbledore silently chastised himself; the Great Hall was not the best place to let his thoughts wander. The Headmaster picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet, which was folded in half on the table in front of him; he was hoping it would provide a distraction, preferably in the form of some amusingly preposterous article.

This was not, however, to be his day, he realised, as he took in the large headline that covered most of the front page. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and the corners of his mouth drooped as he failed to maintain his facade of slightly-mad contentment that he liked to project.

 **‘THE POTTER-MALFOY AFFAIR’** was written in huge bold print, dominating the top third of the front page. He glanced up from the paper in his hands to look towards the Gryffindor table; he could see Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger chatting with several other Gryffindors over their meal but there was no sign of Harry.

He turned to examine the Slytherin table and quickly spotted Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, sitting across from Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, looking amused as they talked in hushed whispers; however, there was no sign of either Harry or Draco there either. Though he was becoming increasingly aware of the higher than usual level of gossip going on amongst the students.

The Headmaster managed to put on an expression of mild concern, which he thought appropriate given the morning’s headline, but mentally he was frowning at Harry and Draco’s absence. He found himself wondering just how upset the two of them had been to have their private life splashed all over the Daily Prophet once again.

Knowing that he needed to know exactly what they were dealing with before he went looking for the young couple, he turned his attention back to the paper. Underneath the main heading he could see most of the top of three pictures; the middle one was of the young couple looking at each other lovingly, their wings just visible at the edge of the frame, and to either side were individual pictures. He didn’t recognise Draco’s picture, which was on the right, but the one of Harry on the left hand side was from the Tri-wizard tournament.

Dumbledore rubbed his forehead hoping to pre-emptively ease the headache that he would undoubtedly have before long. He had been so careful to trample down even the slightest inclination that any reporter had to publish a story about the young couple and couldn’t figure out how this had gotten past him, let alone how the Prophet had managed to get such an intimate picture of them, showing their wings of all things.

Unfolding the paper to read the article, with an already heavy heart, it took great restraint not to look shocked as he read the subtitle that was written in smaller bold print under the pictures.

**‘Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy talk about their unexpected inheritance and falling in love’**

' _They didn’t...'_ was Dumbledore’s first thought as he stared at the paper in shock. He just couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t understand it. _'This has to be Draco Malfoy’s doing, Harry would never have been so reckless,'_ he thought angrily to himself.

However, when he took a moment to actually think about that properly, he realised that that didn’t actually make much sense. Harry was the one who was likely to jump in headfirst without thinking, not Draco, who would probably insist on a detailed and well thought out plan. Yet the article seemed to be implying that they had both spoken to the paper.

Dumbledore’s appetite was gone as he read his way through the actual article, which was surprisingly detailed; in fact, he felt slightly nauseous. It was going to take quite some doing to set this right and now they would have to take extra care to ensure Draco’s safety because there was no way this news wouldn’t reach Tom.

Thinking of protection, the headmaster cast a glance around the room and discovered that neither Nymphadora or Remus were present. He knew he would just have to arrange to speak with them as soon as possible; he just hoped that they were currently wherever Harry and Draco were, ensuring the young couple's safety.

-#-

Tonks smiled sleepily, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of Remus’ arms around her. He had said so many times that she should be wary of him, that he was not good for her and yet she never felt safer or happier than when she was with him. She was reluctant to break the tranquil moment but knew that they could not hide away there all day.

“We should probably get up,” Tonks said, smothering a yawn, chuckling at Remus’ groan. “I have a lesson to teach in a couple of hours and one, or both, of us should probably check on Harry and Draco before then,” she reasoned, glancing over her shoulder at the half-asleep face of her lover.

“Weren’t you the one who said that we needed to trust them more?” Remus mumbled, wrapping his arms more securely around Tonks’ waist, just in case she got any more ideas about getting out of bed.

“We are trusting them,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, wriggling until she had enough leeway to be able to turn around and face her lover. “We have trusted them to decide what they want the public to know, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need to keep an eye on them and make sure they can’t get into any other trouble,” she reasoned.

Remus sighed. “Okay, that’s true,” he agreed, knowing that he would never stop actually wanting to help protect Harry in any way he could, no matter how independent the young man was becoming. “But that doesn’t mean we have to go and help them right _now_ ,” he pointed out.

Remus had been reluctant and sceptical when Tonks had first shown an interest in him but he had stood no chance against her determination. It had taken quite some persuading to get him into her bed, but now that he was there, he was always reluctant for either of them to get out of it.

Tonks laughed happily at the adorable pleading expression on Remus’ face and planted a kiss on his nose that made him scrunch up his sleepy face in a way that she found entirely endearing. She didn’t want to get out of their bed any more than Remus did, but had decided that one of them was going to have to be the motivated one and so she unwrapped his arms from around her and slipped out from under the covers.

“Where’re you going?” Remus mumbled groggily as she escaped from his hold, and managed to sit himself up just enough to be able to watch highly attractive sight of her naked body disappearing through the doorway into the other room.

“To fetch the tea and paper that the house elves left us,” Tonks told him as she returned a moment later with a paper in one hand, and her wand in the other, two cups floating in front of her.

She landed cup on the small table next her side of the bed, only spilling a small amount onto the saucer beneath it, and levitated the other towards Remus; he tried not to look nervous as he plucked the hot drink from the air but Tonks wasn’t exactly known for being graceful and a lap full of steaming hot tea would a sure way to ruin a perfectly good morning.

“Well, I guess the owl is out of its cage now; look at this,” Tonks said, laying the paper out on top of their bed covers for Remus to see, as she climbed back into bed next to him.

“So it would seem,” Remus said with a sigh, hoping that this had been the right thing to do and wasn’t going to come back to bite them in the arse. “I am still not sure this was a wise course of action and I am fairly sure that Dumbledore is not going to like that they did this without discussing it with him,” he told her as he skimmed the article.

Tonks nodded her agreement to that. No matter how supportive they were being of Harry and Draco’s decision, it was a big one and the Headmaster was likely to be annoyed at having been excluded from the whole thing. However, what was done, was done, and there was no taking it back now, and so she focused her attention on reading what the article had to say.

“Well at least they seem to have had to good sense not to mention the pregnancy,” Remus said a few minutes later, once he was done reading it through. He was actually quite impressed if he was honest with himself.

“Agreed, but that this is out there,” Tonks said, gesturing to the paper, “means it is probably going to be a long day. So, as soon as we are finished with this tea we should probably go talking with Dumbledore and make sure this isn’t causing too many problems.”

Remus just nodded and looked back at the paper. ‘ _At least they got a nice picture,’_ he thought with a smile; the young couple really were so obviously in love.

-#-

Molly did love having The Burrow full of her children but she had to admit, at least to herself, that sometimes she did enjoy the slow quiet mornings she had been able to have since Ginny had started Hogwarts.

She had decided that today was going to be just such a day and so she remained in bed long after the sun had risen, and Arthur had headed downstairs to make his own breakfast and pack his own lunch before he would have to head off to work. However, it didn’t take long before her husband reappeared at their bedroom door with an odd expression on his face.

“Arthur?” Molly questioned as she sat up in bed, worried by the concerned frown on her husband’s face. Arthur didn’t say anything though, simply taking a seat on the edge of their bed as he handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet.

They both remained quiet while she took in what she was seeing, reading the headline quickly, and taking in the rather beautiful picture in the middle of the page.

“Oh, Harry,” she said softly, with a sigh, “I do hope you know what you’re doing.” She couldn’t help but wonder if this was why Harry had finally told her everything, not wanting her to find out in the papers; either way, she was glad she had been told because otherwise the day’s headline would have been quite a shock.

“I can’t help but think this was a bad idea,” Arthur said, a concerned frown still marring his face, “but I am thinking that they must have had their reasons. And he didn’t say anything when you saw him?” he asked. Molly had told him all about Harry’s inheritance the evening after she had gone to Hogwarts, and he had to wonder why Harry hadn’t mentioned that this article would be happening.

“Nothing about _this_ ,” Molly assured her husband, still feeling rather stunned by it. “But what’s done is done,” she went on resolutely, “all we can do is offer them all the support we can.”

“Well then I guess that is what we will do,” Arthur told her with his usual kind smile. He really loved his wife; she was such a loving soul and he knew they were all better off for having her in their lives.

-#-

Things were still tense between Severus and Lucius and they had been barely speaking with each other and, as such, Severus was not at all in the mood for company. Wanting to avoid the Great Hall, he had decided to take breakfast in his rooms, and so took a seat at table in his quarters, where the house elves had already provided his usual extra strong black tea and a selection of cooked foods for him to choose from.

He had been eating breakfast in his private rooms more and more as of late, particularly since Lucius had joined him there. This did at least mean the house elves knew what he expected of them, and so his copy of the Daily Prophet was, as always, on the table ready for him.

He picked it up and unfolded it with a well practiced motion, as he used his other hand to raise his still steaming hot cup of tea to his lips. However he never got to taste any of his drink before he realised what he was seeing. It took a moment for the sheer shock of it to wear off before he was able to carefully able to lower the still full cup back onto its saucer; miraculously without spilling any.

“Merlin...” he said slowly, spreading the paper out on the table in front of him. “What in the name of Salazar...?” he mumbled as he read the subtitle, before starting on the rest of the article.

This was definitely not good, he decided before he was even past the first paragraph. He was struggling to understand what on earth was Potter could have been thinking, for this surely had to be the Potter brat’s idea; though Severus could not work out why Draco would have gone along with such a thing either.

He rubbed his forehead as he read through the article, which was full of quotes from both Potter and Draco, lending credence to the suggestion that they really had both talked to the press. He really was going to slaughter them when he saw them next; at least some warning about this would have been nice, even if they hadn’t wanted to discuss it with anyone.

“Is it really that bad?” Lucius asked as he sat down opposite the potion master and took a sip from his sweetened black tea.

Severus looked up at the man, slightly surprised that Lucius had actually spoken to him at all. He didn’t, however, say anything, merely blinking slowly as he continued to stare at the blond.

“You look worried,” Lucius told him, pausing to take another sip of tea. “And so I thought that it must have been bad news,” he said with a nod at the paper spread out in front of the other man, though the table was large enough that he couldn’t read it from his current angle.

“Your son is an idiot,” Severus said bluntly, not really sure how he was going to explain what Potter and Draco had done now.

There were certainly times when he would agree with the potion master’s assessment, but he was curious as to what had prompted such a statement, and so Lucius simply raised an eyebrow elegantly in something close to amusement.

Severus, however, was not in the mood for the man’s smugness and momentarily wanted to leap over the table and wrap his hands around the older man’s throat; somehow, though, he resisted and managed to appear moderately calm as he handed over the newspaper for the other man to read.

Lucius accepted it from the other man and stared in shock at the bold headline on the front page for a few moments, scowling at the picture of Draco and his mate beneath it, before starting to read the article below. Severus sipped at his tea as he watched as Lucius’ expression becoming increasingly angry and confused the more the man read.

“Potter,” Lucius growled, as he slammed the paper down on the table in front of him. “Surely it is obvious this is his doing,” he declared, glaring at Severus. He did not approve of the man blaming Draco for this ridiculousness.

“Most likely,” Severus agreed, with a nod of his head, pausing to take a sip of his tea. “And yet," he went on, "it would seem that your son was a consenting participant in this reckless endeavour.”

Lucius gave an affronted huff at that. “And I suppose you were not aware that they were working on this... this embarrassment?” Lucius demanded, grabbing the paper up in his fist and waving it at the potions master frustration.

“Do you not think I would have _stopped_ them if I had?” Severus snarled back, his eyes narrowed at the other man. “FUCK!” he cursed suddenly, dropping his tea cup and wrapping his right hand around his left arm, where the dark mark was burning against his skin. It was not so much the pain, more the sudden realisation that the Dark Lord would have received the published information just as they had, and it was apparent that their Lord was not happy about it.

Lucius was grimacing also; the paper was now scrunched up as he clenched his fists to resist the pain, doing his best to ignore the call he knew he couldn’t answer. “Don’t go.” Lucius requested, rubbing at his arm to try and ease the ache that was there now that the direct pain had gone.

“I have to,” Severus told him with genuine sadness in his voice. Without another word he got up from his seat; he paused for a moment, him and Lucius locking eyes for a few second before he turned and left. Lucius could do nothing but watch him go.

-#-

There wasn’t any mistaking the rage on Voldemort's face and as such the Death Eaters were suitably nervous. They couldn’t help but wonder who had messed up and who would be the poor sod to bear the brunt of their master’s wrath; not that those would necessarily be the same person. Of course none them were fool enough to think that they were safe, no matter of their innocence.

They were sat around the large dining table in Malfoy Manor, while the Dark Lord towered over them ominously from end furthest from the main door into the room. There had been some concerns that they would have to relocate, given that there was no longer any of the Malfoy family in residence; however, the Dark Lord had declared that if the Malfoys were loyal, they would approve of his use of their home and if not, then the traitors had no say in it.

Lucius’ loyalty was, of course, still being highly debated, as it had been since the man's mysterious disappearance several months earlier. Very few among the Death Eaters were eager for his return though; in fact, several of them were more than happy to step up and take the now vacant position of power.

Voldemort’s red eyes flashed dangerously as he threw the Daily Prophet onto the table; every eye in the room watching as it slid along the highly polished table top before coming to a stop a little over half way along it. They could easily read the bold heading and those who had not already seen the article gasped in surprise and horror.

“Which of you knew of this?!” Voldemort demanded to know, radiating his fury into the room around him, watching his gathered followers expectantly.

However, it seemed that no-one was brave enough to say anything, and the silence was terrifying,  only Bellatrix was mad enough to even look towards the imposing figure at the head of the table.

“Fools!" Voldemort bellowed after a few seconds of waiting. "Are you all so completely incompetent that two _children_ could hide their secrets from you?” he mocked softly, the words almost hissed as he spoke, sweeping his way along one side of the table.

“My Lord,” Bellatrix said in a sickeningly sweet tone, as her Lord and master passed her, leaning towards him, clearly desperate to be as close to him as possible.  

Voldemort paused, narrowing his eyes at her in disgust; apparently even he found Bellatrix's simpering hard to stomach. “Did you intend to keep this hidden from me?” he accused angrily. “Do you deny that your nephew is a traitorous whore?”

“No, my Lord!"  Bellatrix exclaimed, alarmed that her Lord would think she would betray him so. "I did not know, I swear it,” she pleaded, looking up at Voldemort imploringly. “And the boy is no family of mine,” she snapped viciously, her face hardening in sudden anger.

“It seems your family has developed rather a taste for those beneath us," Voldemort sneered, as he made his way back towards to head of the table. "Muggles, mudbloods and half-bloods,” he mocked, “perhaps we can find you a squib.”

He let out a cackling laugh as he took he seat, a sinister smirk on his face as most of the Death Eaters let out little twitters of amusement. “Rodolphus," he commented when he realised that Bellatrix wasn't the only one not laughing, "you don’t look amused.”

“My wife would never touch a filthy squib,” he said, making a clear effort to be as respectful as he could, given how insulted he was at the very suggestion.

“You think to know better than me?” Voldemort challenged, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at the man sat next to Bellatrix about half way down the table. Rodolphus shook his head fervently, but it was too late and he knew full well from the tone of his Lord's voice exactly what was coming even before Voldemort raised his wand. “ _Crucio_!”

Rodolphus screamed as his body jerked suddenly, making him hit his head on the table and then on his high backed chair, before falling to the floor twitching. Rodolphus’ screams filling the otherwise silent house for several painfully long minutes, before the Dark Lord broke the spell. There was a pathetic whimpering noise that might have almost been funny if not that every one of the Death Eaters in that room knew what he was suffering to draw that sound from his throat.

“My lord, what about Severus?” Bellatrix suggested, ignoring the pitiful sounds coming from her husband on the floor next to her. “Surely he, of all of us, would be the one who should have known.”

Voldemort narrowed his furious gaze upon her, annoyed that she had distracted him from enjoying the misery of his pathetic Death Eater; however, he could admit to himself at least, that she had a point. He need to know why it was that Severus had not mentioned the relationship between Potter and the Malfoy boy.

“Your arm,” he ordered and Bellatrix hurried out of her seat, moving next to her master and holding out her arm obediently. As Voldemort pressed his wand against the mark there, her lips twisting into an insane grin as she enjoyed the pain, the others in the room letting out hisses of discomfort as their own marks burned.

“Leave me,” Voldemort commanded suddenly and there was a scramble to obey.

Rabastan hesitated long enough to pull his brother to his feet and get him out of the room, though that was by half dragging him. Bellatrix, however, seemed not only unfazed by her husband’s suffering but unwilling to leave the Dark Lord’s company, leaving the room walking backwards slowly with a longing look in her eye.

“You have some explaining to do, Severus,” Voldemort said to himself as he waited for the potions master to arrive.


	24. Effects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 24; Took me a while to get this chapter to a standard I was happy with, but here is finally is. Sorry about the longer than usual wait.   
> Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, this is the link to my profile: http://www.facebook.com/pipa.bickymonster  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

As he left his quarters, Severus felt like his thoughts were going in a thousand different directions all at once and, if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he couldn’t face the Dark Lord until he had some control of his own mind again.

This was the main reason he had decided to walk off the castle grounds and then apparate to Malfoy Manor from Hogsmeade Village, rather than just using the floo network to get outside of Hogwarts' wards. Severus had needed to buy himself some time, preferably time without any of the many meddlesome fools in his life breathing down his neck.

The look that had been on Lucius’ face when he left was doing its utmost to haunt him and Severus had to remind himself that the other man was safely behind the wards of his quarters, which he had doubled as he was leaving, as well as those of the castle. There was no way that Malfoy Senior was going anywhere, whether by the man's own choice or anyone else’s.

Severus steeled himself as he strode through Hogwarts castle, knowing that he didn't have time to waste on thoughts of Lucius at the moment, and focused on working through the myriad of emotions that were bouncing around inside his skull.

Panic; it would not be safe to let the Dark Lord see such an emotion in him, and so he would definitely have to do his best to file it away in a remote location of his brain for later.

Confusion; he wished he had time to speak with Draco and Potter before leaving, but that was not to be, but he reasoned that if he could convince the Dark Lord that the news about the young couple had been a surprise to him too, then his own ignorance might be useful. 

Fear; much like the panic he felt, it was something he never wanted to let the Dark Lord see in him if possible; he was, however, hopeful that whatever plan he managed to pull together before facing Voldemort would help ease that, and that the rest could be passed off as reverence of the man's power.

Anger; this was mostly at Potter and Draco, and not something he was usually able to honestly feel, but they had royally screwed him this time. They had kept him in the dark about such a major decision and they were the reason he was now going to have to face the Dark Lord with no warning. At least anger at the pair of them would be welcomed by Voldemort.

 _'Great... Rain," h_ e thought sarcastically as he stepped out into the grounds and felt the raindrops pelting down upon him; though he did morosely think it seemed appropriate. He quickly cast a spell that would shelter him from the worst of it, not wanting to arrive at Malfoy Manor looking like he had drowned.

He truly wished that Draco had trusted him enough to at least give him a little notice before the article’s release; it would have been much easier to face the Dark Lord if he had had a few days to plan. The depth of the interview, the careful wording, the pictures; it all pointed to a well thought-out and organised public reveal, and that just irked him.

It was a rather blatant mix of Slytherin cunning and selfishness and Gryffindor bravery and brashness; it was, he thought bitterly, very Potter and Draco. If he had had the time he would have taken a moment to berate himself for not having realised, much earlier, what a dangerous combination the pair of them made; as it happened, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

-#-

Dumbledore was heading along one of the innumerable corridors of his school, in the general direction of his office; he needed time to think on what Harry and Draco had done, to form some kind of plan and, perhaps most importantly, to calm himself down enough to keep from losing his temper with someone he really shouldn’t.

He glanced out of a row of windows as he passed; a small wry smile formed on his lips when he saw that the weather seemed to match his mood, it felt... right. The darkly-clad figure storming across the grounds at that moment, however, did not.

The Headmaster had a sinking feeling in his gut as he watched the man make his way towards the Hogwarts gates and he didn’t need to be able to see any more clearly, despite the current downpour, to know that it was his Potions Master. Nor did it take much thought to figure out Severus' likely destination.

“For Merlin’s sake,” the old man grumbled to himself. It seemed that today the Fates were really determined to screw him over. He send up prayers, to every higher power he had ever heard of, that Severus’ luck was going to swing in their favour, at least this once.

-#-

Lucius was pacing; it was an undignified expression of his anxieties that he would not normally have allowed himself but it wasn’t as though anyone was going to see. He was stuck in Severus’ quarters at Hogwarts and even if someone else had wanted to visit, he was fairly sure they wouldn’t stand a chance at getting through the wards.

And stuck really was the word, because he had tried to go after Severus the moment that the door had closed behind the Potions Master, wanting to keep him from having to face the Dark Lord; though admittedly Lucius hadn't been surprised to find himself unable to open the door and follow his lover.

He was momentarily stunned with the realisation that it had been the first time he had genuinely wanted out of his prison; what surprised him even more was that it had been out of a desire to stop Severus from answering the Dark Lord’s call, rather than for the purposes of his own escape.

Now, though, he felt helpless; it was as though he was adrift in his own isolated little world, unable to do anything but wait, while the rest of the world went on without him. He wanted to keep Severus safe and stop the man from making the terrible mistake of answering the Dark Lord’s summons, but he was entirely powerless to do, and hated that.

Lucius knew where he lay the blame for Severus's current predicament though, and in the wildness of his imagination, he wanted to string Potter up by his ankles and slit the brat's throat. The idea of watching the blood drain from the boy’s wretched body actually calmed him slightly, even though, in his rational mind, he knew he could never allow such a thing to happen.  And Draco, oh how Lucius wanted to yell at his son.

Of course, he could do none of this; not even if he had had his freedom, he realised a bit bitterly. He knew how that Severus was far too determined to see the Dark Lord fall, and so murdering the Potter boy would cost him both Severus and Draco; not to mention likely earn him a one way ticket to Azkaban, and probably stain a perfectly good set of robes in the process.

Lucius had to wonder how he had lost so much control over his own life. He lived under Severus' control, in the man's rooms, behind his wards, and it was apparent that he had lost his sway over his own son. He was coming to realise, the hard way, that making any demands of Draco was no longer particularly effective, probably even less so if done with a raised voice.

Draco had fallen in love and was determinedly making his own way in the world, and Lucius knew it. Salazar, they all knew it and now that Draco and Potter were this united front, a family unit, there was no stopping them; the cleverly orchestrated announcement that had been delivered directly into the hands of the Wizarding public was evidence enough of that.

Lucius paused in his pacing, his eyes drifting to Severus' well stocked drinks trolley, and debating with himself for a moment over whether breakfast time really was too early to start drinking. ' _Probably not on days like this,'_ he decided; it wasn’t like he had anywhere to be.

He poured himself a generous portion of Severus’ finest and definitely most expensive brandy, humming in approval as he took a sip. It was with grace and a calm demeanour that he sat down in one of the large, high-backed armchairs in the living area, taking his newly filled glass with him.

Half a glass later, and he found that he at least felt slightly more like himself, even if the rest of the world insisted on crumbling into insanity around him. He took another long sip from the glass in his hand and, with great effort, focused on the smooth, warming liquid that had rather delightful hints of cherry; the brandy, at least, didn’t seem to be actively taking steps to screw up the life he had spent the last several decades building.

-#-

Severus had, when he had reached Hogsmeade, momentarily considered heeding Lucius' words and ignoring the Dark Lord's summons, returning to Lucius instead; however, the ache in his arm from where the mark had burned was a physical reminder of what was at stake, and how important his role was, and so he had apparated to the manor house in Wiltshire.

The corridors of the old and large building were much as they had ever been, though filled with the Dark Lords many Death Eaters now and he was aware of the nervous glances that some of the residents were giving him; that the place had remained so unchanged, despite its recent unauthorised shift in ownership, disturbed him. He just hoped he would live long enough to see the manor returned to Lucius, or else Draco, but whether either of them would ever wish to live there again was debatable. Severus knew he would never be able to consider the place as his home and it would be impossible to believe that Harry could either.

Now, however, was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, nor for any doubts of nervousness, and so Severus steeled his Occlumency shields but did not show any hesitation as he stepped into the large, familiar dining hall of Malfoy Manor.

 “Ah, Severus,” the Dark Lord greeted, the hushed words slithering over his tongue. Voldemort was sat in a high backed chair near the head of the table, furthest from the door and, as much as Severus had grown to loathe the man, he had to admit the Dark Lord did have a way of making is presence felt in a room without doing a thing. “I grew concerned that you might have gotten... waylaid.”

“No, my Lord,” Severus assured him in a passive voice, bowing his head for a moment. “It simply took a short while to take my leave without raising unwanted questions.”

“You would not be so foolish as to try and hide from me, would you, Severus?” Voldemort asked; the playful way he toyed with the words belied the rage that the Potions Master could see in the blood red eyes.

“I am ever your loyal servant," Severus told him firmly without hesitation. "I have no reason, nor desire, to hide from you, my Lord,” he answered diplomatically; there was no need to make the inevitable any worse that it was already likely to be.

“So you say," Voldemort  hissed, getting to his feet as he spoke and he seemed to glide across the room until he was no more than a few feet from the other man."And yet, Severus, you failed to inform me of Potter’s latest dalliances, of which I am sure you must have been aware,” the Dark Lord said, not even trying to hide the anger in his words now.

“I was not aware of either the Potter or Malfoy boys’ inheritances until I read the most informative Daily Prophet article,” Severus lied, tapping mentally at his Occlumency shields to ensure they would remain secure.

“SILENCE!” Voldemort bellowed impatiently before Severus could say anything else. “Surely you were aware of their... closeness,” the Dark Lord demanded in a dangerous hiss, a sneer of disgust on his face.

“Yes, my Lord, but...” Severus started, bowing his head again. There was no point even trying to deny that, everyone at Hogwarts had been aware and he would be caught in that lie far too easily; it was not worth the suffering and distrust that would inevitably bring upon him.

“You believe you can hide such things from your Master? Intend to deceive me?” Voldemort snarled out angrily. “Perhaps,” he suggested maliciously, “you care more for the Malfoy boy than for our cause?”

“No, my Lord,” Severus said, maintaining his calm and collected exterior with practiced skill. Though he strongly suspected that Voldemort was not actually listening to him any longer.

“Maybe I shall gift him to you upon our victory,” Voldemort mused with a disturbed and madly amused grin. The Dark Lord let out a string of hissed syllables that the Potions Master believed to be Parseltongue, a suspicion that seemed to be confirmed when Nagini approached and curl up around her master, raising her head to brush against his hand.

Severus said nothing, despite the disgust churning in his gut at what Voldemort was implying. Draco was close to a son to him in many ways, not that he was fool enough to let the Dark Lord find that out.

“You should remember your manners, Severus. You would not want me to think you ungrateful,” the Dark Lord mocked. “It is proper to give thanks for gifts offered. Though your apparent inability to provide me with information makes me wonder if we need to re-evaluate your usefulness as a spy," he went on, eyeing Severus with a sinister, pensive smirk.

It took a great deal for Severus to remain still, to allow himself to be perused by Voldemort's dangerous gaze. The large snake slithered around Severus' ankles, much to the apparent amusement of the Dark Lord, and when Nagini snapped playfully at his leg, Severus couldn't keep himself from flinching.

"Though, once digested by Nagini you would have little use for gifts of any kind,” Voldemort said with a fond twisted smile at his beloved snake who hissed her approval. “The Malfoy boy does have a pretty head; maybe I can gift you his head, Severus,” he added gleefully, as though this was one of his more brilliant ideas and he expected the Potions Master to think so too.

“I would have no use for such a gift, my Lord,” Severus said coldly and with renewed determination never to let the man so much as see Draco again, let alone get near him. “I had assumed, given that the knowledge of Potter and Malfoy’s relationship is widely known, and has not been treated as a secret within Hogwarts, that the news would have reached you through less valuable sources and was not worth risking my position as a spy over.”

There was just a dash of truth in his words, enough to hopefully keep the lie believable. Severus was genuinely surprised that word of the relationship had not reached Voldemort, even if Miss Parkinson and Misters Zabini, Goyle and Crabbe had shown remarkably Hufflepuff-like loyalty to Draco.

“This oversight, this false assumption, of yours,” Voldemort said as he walked around Severus, “you think you should be forgiven for it? That I should tolerate such failure?”

The sound of Voldemort’s robes trailing along the old wooden floor boards was easily heard in the hushed quiet of the room and, as Voldemort moved around behind him, it took a lot more mental strength than Severus would ever want to admit, to not turn around and keep the mad man within his sight. It was made even more difficult when he heard the harsh tones of a spell being cast and felt the sharp probe of Voldemort’s magic against his Occlumency shields.

Severus let him into his mind, quickly allowing him to see the pre-selected memories and thoughts that would back up his claims; others, however, he held back carefully and securely back behind an exquisitely constructed second shield, one that any wizard would have been proud of. It seemed that the Dark Lord was in a particularly malicious mood and the invasion into Severus’ thoughts was bordering on painful; the Potions Master did nothing to hide his suffering, in fact pushing it to the front of his mind knowing how it would please Voldemort’s sadistic tendencies.

“Ah, I do always so enjoy your mind, Severus,” the Dark Lord teased, as he came to stand in front of the Potions Master again. “So organised,” he praised, and yet it sounded mocking, as though Severus was little more than a silly child that amused him slightly.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Severus bit out coldly, feeling somewhat weary from the strength it had taken to maintain the barriers in his mind.

“Do you think you have earned forgiveness?” Voldemort asked, as he turned and made his way back towards his chair, Nagini following after him.

“I would not presume to make such a determination, my Lord,” Severus answered, sure that the older man would see through his evasive words but knowing that was no right answer to the Dark Lord's question.

Voldemort chuckled darkly and hissed words at Nagini, who appeared to be enjoying the joke as well; the revelation that the snake apparently had a sense of humour felt so incongruent to the situation that Severus almost let his careful facade slip.

“Such a diplomatic answer, such a way with words,” Voldemort said after a moment. “If I didn’t have more important uses for you, you would have made an excellent politician; though I suppose it is those same talents you use so deftly to keep the _brilliant_ Albus Dumbledorefooled.”

“I am your loyal servant,” Severus said, echoing the words he had spoken earlier. “I do what I can for the cause.” He knew he had been lucky so far and that he was walking a narrow path, that the Dark Lord's temper would not hold much longer.

“Not quite loyal enough,” Voldemort hissed, all amusement draining in an instant and Severus knew that his apprehension was well founded. “Lord Voldemort does not forgive failure.”

Severus bowed his head but said nothing, knowing that there wasn't anything he could say; he had known he was not to be forgiven so easily, he had not been fooled by the banter. Voldemort just liked to play with his toys a bit before he tortured them.

“You will do better, Severus,” the Dark Lord commanded and Severus braced himself for what he knew to be coming. _“Crucio.”_

-#-

Dumbledore lowered himself into the large chair in his office with a heavy sigh. He was worried; a couple of hours was hardly the longest time that Voldemort had kept Severus but still it did not bode well.

It was surprisingly difficult to focus on the menial tasks that were required to keep the school running while the Potions Master was yet to return. He had even had to put up a notice cancelling the day's potions classes, which was bound to raise unwanted questions, not that the students were likely to figure out the true reasons behind it; they were far more likely to suggest that it was further evidence to back the ridiculous rumour of Snape’s vampirism.

“I am just trying to save wizarding kind,” Dumbledore told Fawkes, who was sat watching the headmaster from his perch “but how am I supposed to achieve such a feat with everyone acting on their own agenda?” he asked rhetorically, sounding exhausted. 

He had hoped he would be able to get most of them through the war alive, including Harry, but that would require the boy to be ready to sacrifice himself, something that was less and less likely with each passing day. The boy was becoming frustratingly wilful, which probably shouldn’t have surprised Dumbledore given the boy's parents, but Harry had always been so... malleable; until Draco.

The old man leaned forward, resting his head upon the knuckles of steepled hands as he mulled over what he needed to do. Soon he would have to finish explaining to Harry, tell him of the full consequences of that fateful Halloween night all those years ago; he would have to explain to Harry why his death was essential.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. He felt old, too old to save the world again and he hated himself for having to condemn a young man, a boyfriend, a father-to-be, to his death. He had to remind himself that it was Voldemort’s doing, and there was no way around it; it was only matter of time until Harry understood that.

_"Help..."_

Dumbledore had no trouble recognising the voice, even as weak and feeble as it was, and was therefore unsurprised when he stood and turned towards its source, to find himself face to face with Severus Snape's silvery doe patronus.

“Lead the way,” Dumbledore commanded urgently. He promptly cast his own patronus, sending it off to inform Poppy that she would have guests soon.

The Headmaster's robes swirled around behind him as he made his way out of his office and quickly through the castle. Silently he cursed Voldemort for whatever damage the man had done to Severus this time; despite his mistakes, Severus had already suffered more than enough for a lifetime, in Dumbledore’s opinion.

He was genuinely worried what he would find when he reached Severus. It had been some time since the Potions Master had had to send for assistance in such a manner after returning from seeing Voldemort and the headmaster was not sure he remembered having heard the man’s voice as broken and fearful as it had sounded. Images of the worst began to play across his mind and he felt out with his magic for the school’s wards and shifted them enough to allow himself to apparate.

-#-

Severus was aware of pain... and water falling on his face... and cold settling into his whole body... but mostly pain.

A thought of Lily had let him cast the patronus, and he forced himself to speak to it, just enough to ensure the Headmaster would get his message.

His skull felt like it was split open and his whole body screamed with pain but all he could do was hope that help was close, that help was coming.

He was pretty sure he had apparated; to Hogsmeade, maybe. It might not have been a good idea, but it was too late to regret it now and at least he was away from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters.

There had been laughter from Bellatrix as he half stumbled, half crawled down the drive way of Malfoy Manor. He had no idea how long it had taken him, but it had felt like years as the gravel had dug into his hands and knees, every movement causing his muscles to spasm painfully.

His head was spinning and when he tried to open his eyes, he was surprised his head hadn’t exploded, the pain was so great. He did have to take several slow, deep breaths to keep from emptying his stomach.

 _'Am I dying?'_ he wonder silently. If he was, he kind of wished that his body would just hurry up and get it over with; at least then he wouldn't have to bear this pain any longer.

It was difficult to think; the pain was making him nauseous and the dampness that kept slipping into his eyes and nose was distractingly uncomfortable; in contrast the small drops that fell past his lips were a comfort.

He was fairly sure he was lying on his back. The cold stone beneath him was chilling his shoulders and arse, which would probably have earned his disgust and made him uncomfortable enough to move, if only the rest of him wasn’t hurting so very much.

Lucius had been right, he shouldn’t have gone. Voldemort had been so delighted to have finally made Severus Snape plead for death.  He had desperately wanted an end to it all, and the Dark Lord had called it mercy when his life was spared.

Snape was angry, furious and desired revenge, but that would have to wait till there was at least one part of his body that wasn’t in complete agony.

Voices; he could hear the loudest whispers he had ever heard. He tried to understand what they were saying, but the pounding in his head made the words unintelligible.  The strain was just too much for his battered body, and so he embraced the unconsciousness that consumed him.

-#-

As Dumbledore apparated onto the main street in Hogsmeade, there were, despite the bad weather, quite a few people gathering in the street talking in hushed panicked voices. He headed straight for them; he already had a strong suspicion what it was that had them all gathered there and as he moved closer he could hear what some of them were saying.

“Is he dead?”

“We should call someone...”

“Check his pulse...”

“MOVE!” Dumbledore bellowed commandingly and the crowds parted as they stepped back and allowed the Headmaster a full view of the darkly clad man sprawled on the cobblestones. He was thankful to see that Severus was breathing, though only just and he knew he needed to act quickly.

The Headmaster levitated the unconscious body of Severus into his arms. With a non-verbal spell and, without a word to anyone, he apparated them directly to the medical wing, slamming the wards closed tightly behind him.

“Over here, Albus,” Madam Pomfrey said quickly, concern in her voice but as professional as ever and ready to help anyone in need. “Lay him down here,” she instructed, gesturing to a bed she had cleared of fussy linens.

“Cruciatus curse, I would assume, Poppy,” Dumbledore said sorrowfully as he placed the unconscious Potions Master down where she had indicated.

Severus looked so small and vulnerable and neither of those things were what people would ordinarily have associated with the man. Severus was not tall, granted, but he had a strong presence which was usually undeniable. The headmaster back up and watched from a few feet away as Poppy expertly cast numerous examination spells.

Sometimes Dumbledore thought he should have taken the time to have Poppy teach him more than the basic medical spells he knew, but he had never had need of them. ' _There seems so little point now_ ,' he thought to himself with a cursory glance at his black and withered hand.

“He will live,” Madam Pomfrey told the Headmaster after a few minutes, “though he is going to need some time to recover.” Dumbledore gave the nurse a wry smile; it was more or less what he had been expecting.

"Of course," Dumbledore confirmed with a nod of his head, moving closer to the bed once more and looking down at the almost frail-looking man lying there. He suspected that Severus was simply too stubborn to die this way, but the Headmaster was glad to hear that the Potions Master was going to make it nonetheless.

“I will give him something for the pain and a potion to repair his nervous system," the nurse informed the Headmaster as she summoned some potions. "I imagine it will be at least a few hours before he is awake again; though that is probably for the best.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore said, giving her a grateful smile before turning to head out of the ward as Madam Pomfrey pulled a screen around Severus bed for privacy, leaving the nurse to her work. She had treated Severus for such things before and, though she never said, Albus was fairly sure that Madam Pomfrey had a good idea where the injuries came from. He and Severus both appreciated her discretion.

-#-

Lucius could admit, to himself at least, that he was concerned; it had been hours since Severus had left and as much as he liked the idea of being able say ‘I told you so’, he didn't actually want his lover to be suffer. Besides, he at least wanted the other man to be well enough to appreciate his righteous ranting.

He knew better than most just how much suffering the Dark lord was capable of inflicting on someone. Lucius had learned the hard way just how much rage their master could direct at someone who had displeased him, and neither of he, nor Severus, had been under any delusion that Severus’ summoning had been for a congratulatory hug.

Lucius went to take another sip of brandy but, much to his annoyance, no more than the dregs passed his lips. Holding it up to get a proper look, he glared at the empty glass for a few seconds before grabbing the decanter from where he had placed it on the table next to his chair and poured himself another generous portion. He felt no guilt in pouring himself a refill; if Severus was going to torture his mind by remaining absent without explanation, then Lucius was going to take his suffering out on the room’s alcohol supply.

Lucius closed his eyes as he leaned back into the comfortable chair, cradling his brandy in both hands. It occurred to him as he took a sip, that he should probably eat something; he had never quite gotten around to having anything more than a cup of tea for breakfast and given the rather generous glass he had already consumed, this second one was likely to go straight to his head.

"Elf," he called out without opening his eyes, not remembering the specific names of any of the ones that usually served Severus in his quarters. It took a few seconds but there was a familiar popping sound that indicated the arrival of a house elf, and Lucius found himself quite grateful that Severus had at least left the wards such that they would allow the house elves entry.

"How's can Flipsy be helping, sir," a small voice squeaked out, and Lucius opened his eyes to peer at the raggedy creature stood next to his chair, looking up at him with large green eyes.

He demanded to be brought a platter of meats and cheeses, thinking that that way he would be able nibble on them as the mood took him, rather than having to worry about having the stomach to consume a proper meal. If the house elf thought anything of his manners or irritable mood, it was wise enough to not comment and simply disappeared with another small popping sound.

What arrived less than five minutes later was hardly up to the standard he would have demanded from his own elves, but he had grown depressingly used to the school’s food and so made no complaint as he ate enough to settle his stomach.

Feeling a little better now that he had eaten something, Lucius leaned back in his chair once more, resigning himself to waiting. He just hoped that someone would think to let him know as soon as there was news; he had no choice to trust that Dumbledore, Draco, and Potter, not to mention Severus himself, would realise that he cared enough about the dour Potions Master to be worried.

-#-

“Did you hear? Potions has been cancelled all day,” Draco overheard some third year Ravenclaw boy saying to his friend. Draco's hand was in Harry's, the two of them on their way to the Great Hall for lunch when they had happened to walk passed the two young Ravenclaws, who were heading  in the opposite direction.

“Yeah, Mikey told me," the friend replied knowledgably. "The Gryffindors were supposed to have it first thing but...” However, Draco couldn't hear any more as the third year Ravenclaws rounded a corner, moving out of Draco’s ear shot.

“Did you hear that?” Draco asked, frowning as he looked up at his mate next to him. They hadn't had potions that day and so this was the first they had heard about  the lessons being cancelled; it was certainly very odd and left Draco feeling rather worried about what would keep Snape from teaching.

Harry hummed and nodded in confirmation. He too seemed bothered by what they had heard, a puzzled and concerned expression on his face. “That’s pretty weird, right?" he asked, knowing that Draco knew Snape better than he did.

“It is; Professor Snape would never miss a lesson without a good reason,” Draco agreed with a nod. Though the blond had schooled his expression to be blank, when Harry felt gently through their bond, he could feel how anxious Draco really was.

“Come on,” Harry said decisively, the combination of his own curiosity and his desire to do what he could to reassure his mate, pushing him into action. "Lunch can wait," he said, as he pulled on Draco’s hand, dragging him suddenly off down another corridor to their left.

Draco smiled when he realised where they were going, that their new route would take them directly to a tapestry shortcut to the dungeons. It warmed his heart to know that Harry cared; even about the grumpy Potions Master, who had always taken such pleasure in making Harry's life difficult. But then that was just who Harry was, he couldn’t help but care; and, despite what he had been raised to believe, Draco couldn’t quite see that as a weakness anymore.

Harry glanced around the corridor they were in quickly before he and Draco ducked behind the large tapestry showing a scene from one of the goblin wars. They found themselves in a familiar part of the dungeons and hurried a little further down the empty corridor, in the direction of Snape’s personal rooms.

Sharing a worried look once they reached the door, Draco shrugged his shoulders; he didn't know what they should do, it had been Harry's idea to come and check on the Potions Master after all.

Harry summoned his Gryffindor courage and rapped his knuckles on the door. “Professor Snape?” he called out nervously, just hoping that the professor wasn't going to be too annoyed with them just showing up uninvited.

-#-

 _Bang, bang._ Lucius groaned softly as the loud noise dragged him reluctantly back to consciousness, his thoughts feeling a little muddled as he was roused from his unplanned nap.

“Professor...?” someone called out, though it sounded distant and muffled.

“ Professor? Father...?” a more familiar voice shouted, registering in his mind and drawing him back into a more alert state. He groaned a little more loudly as he forced his eyes open and tried to sit up; his back ached slightly but that was not greatly surprising given that he was still in the chair in the living area of Severus' quarters.

“Malfoy? Snape?” the first of the voices called out again, followed by the banging sound from before, which Lucius now realised was someone knocking on the door. _Bang, bang._ He winced as the loud noise made his head hurt a little.

“Professor?! Father?!” the more familiar of the voices bellowed, though Lucius could only tell that from the tone rather than the volume, which seemed to be muted by not only the solid wood of the door but also the wards. _Bang, bang._ “Father, I know you must be in there,” a voice he was able to now identify as Draco's shouted.

Now that he had woken up a bit more and realised that it was his son at the door, Lucius moved to stand up. However, the moment he did, he was hit by a bit of a dizzy spell and had to quickly grab one of the arms of the chair; he spotted the empty glass on the floor by his feet and glanced at the brandy decanter on the table, now significantly more empty than it had been first thing this morning. It seemed he had drunk a good deal more than he had intended to and it was the memory of why he had started drinking in the first place that got him moving despite his squiffy state.

“Bear with me a moment,” he called out loudly, hoping it was enough to get through the wards. He frowned at his less than stellar articulation; his tongue seemed to be having trouble getting words out, but at least his brain could still manage eloquence, even in his inebriated state.

He took a steadying breath to calm his churning stomach and pushed himself the rest of the way to his feet, a task that would have been much easier if the damned floor and walls weren’t insisting on dancing around all over the place.

“Hello?” the not-Draco voice called through the door.

 _'And that must be Potter,'_ Lucius thought bitterly. _'Stupid Gryffindor impatience.'_  He appeased his mind with the rather pleasing image of his son, stood on the other side of the door, glaring at the Potter boy as the annoying brat well deserved. Lucius was sure it was an impressively stern and intimidating glare too; Draco had learned from the best, after all.

It took him a couple of minutes of rather unsteady steps, but Lucius made it to the door; it was an achievement that he was struggling not to feel proud of himself for, but his focus was on his worries about Severus.

He had no idea how many hours it had now been and he was hopefully that Draco had come with news. Though, that raised the worrying question of why Severus would not have brought the news himself. He needed to know why Severus was not there, chastising him annoyingly for having drunk himself silly, and reminding him that it was most unbefitting for a Malfoy.

-#-

“Hello?” Harry called out when there had been no sound from inside the room for at least a minute; it did seem to be taking a rather long time for the older Malfoy to get to the door. Draco rolled his eyes at his mate, but said nothing; Harry had never exactly been known for his patience.

“There’s wards... on the room,” a rather slurred and muffled voice said from just the other side of the door a few seconds later. Draco and Harry shared a bemused look; wards would certainly explain why the voice sounded muffled, but not the slurred words.

“Father...?” Draco asked incredulously, a rather peculiar expression on his face. He had never heard his father’s voice sound like that before and that combined with how long it had taken Lucius to respond, was leaving him worried.

“Draco, do you have news about Severus?” Lucius asked, his usual brisk and sharp tones absent, the words coming out somewhat mumbled, as well as hushed by the wards.

Draco glanced at his mate for a moment before going too staring at the door to Severus' quarters, a scowl on his face. “Are you drunk, father?” Draco asked disbelievingly, not sure how he felt about that possibility.

There was a rather poignant silence in response to the submissive's question that spoke volumes. Harry found the whole idea of a drunk Lucius Malfoy highly entertaining and gave Draco a decidedly amused smirk; thought that did make him silently ask himself if perhaps the two of them had been spending too much time together lately.

“Father...?” Draco asked again, when there had still been no response after a few more seconds. "You're drunk, aren't you."

“Maybe," Lucius admitted with obvious reluctance, and there was a soft thump that sounded like someone leaning heavily against the other side of the door. "A little,” he added quietly enough that he could barely be heard through the door.

Both teens snorted at that, sharing an  amused look, wishing that they could get into the room to witness the bizarre event which Lucius Malfoy drunk must be; Draco, particularly, was struggling to imagine his usually well-composed father in such a state.

“Severus, do you have you news of him?” Lucius asked again, sounding more urgent now, the man's tone breaking the mood and causing Draco and Harry to quickly become more serious.

“Erm, actually we came to ask if you had seen him,” Harry admitted, reaching out and grasping Draco’s hand, seeing that his mate was obviously worried. Truthfully, he was too. “Potions was cancelled.”

-#-

Harry's words made Lucius feel sick, and he leaned even more heavily against the door; his heart was racing and the room felt like it was swirling around him most unpleasantly but he forced himself to speak. “Severus was summoned,” he told them, “to the Dark Lord. Damned fool went,” he added bitterly.

He was pretty sure he heard Potter draw a sharp breath in surprise, as though he had no idea that the entire situation was his fault in the first place. Draco’s silence worried him far more than any other reaction ever would have, and let him know how concerned his son truly was.

“Medical wing,” Lucius heard Draco suggest and he hoped that his son was right. He hoped that it was just that Dumbledore had not yet seen fit to inform him about Severus' return, and that the dratted nurse was secluding the Potions Master away in her medical wing, as she had been known to do.

He knew, however, that that would likely mean that Severus was seriously injured or even unconscious; Severus would never stay away willingly, of that he was sure. But that was still a far more bearable idea than Severus not having returned at all; that wasn't a possibility he was ever going to be ready to consider.

“We will come back,” Draco said; it sounded to Lucius like his son was trying hard to sound strong, trying to keep his calm, and Lucius placed his hand on the door; so rarely had he wanted to wrap his son up in his arms more than he did in that moment, though he wasn't sure which of them needed the comfort more. “We will find him and we will come back," Draco promised. "We will find out what is going on.”

“Thank you,” Lucius whispered as he faintly heard the footsteps of the two boys hurrying off down the corridor.

-#-

“Madam Pomfrey!” Draco called out, as he barged into the Medical Wing, with Harry close on his heels. Both of them had their wings out and spread wide behind them. Draco had only just managed to restrain himself from running his way across the castle, and the determined expression on his face had been enough to keep Harry quiet.

“Goodness, Mr Malfoy,” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in surprise at the rather enthusiastic entry, looking up from the bed she was making about half way down the ward. “Whatever is the matter?” she asked as she hurried over towards where Harry was holding onto Draco's hand to keep the submissive from darting around the Medical Wing.

“Professor Snape, is he here?” the blond demanded impatiently, already looking around at the empty beds and spotting the one cordoned off behind a screen at the far end.

“He needs rest, Draco,” Madam Pomfrey told the young man firmly, moving to block Draco's path when the blond pulled his hand free of Harry's. She side stepped to block Draco's path again, when he went to head further into the ward, and she glanced to Harry for a little help.

Harry wrapped his arm around Draco's waist and pulled his mate into his side, however, the blond was not happy about being held back. “Get off,” Draco  griped, the purple wings on Draco’s back pushing against Harry in obvious annoyance.

“Calm down, Love,” Harry said, his voice calm but stern. "We know he is here now, Snape is where he needs to be," he reasoned.  

Draco gave an annoyed huff and scowled at him, but his wings did relax and he stopped fighting against his mate.  Hearing his father sounding drunk and then being so worried about Snape had put him on edge, and he realised that he was being irrational and that wasn't helping anything.

“How is he?” Draco asked, turning to the nurse, nodding in the direction of the hidden bed. He knew that it was going to be serious, Severus would never have allowed himself to be kept in the Medical Wing if it wasn't and so Draco knew that both he and his father needed answers.

Madam Pomfrey hesitated, taking a moment to decide what exactly she could tell them. “Professor Snape will be fine," she said. "He woke up briefly but he seriously needs rest, and so I have put him into a medically-induced sleep,” the nurse explained.

"I want to see him," Draco said, needing to see that the man was okay for himself. Snape had been an important figure in his life for as long as he could remember, and he was certain that his father loved the man; it was only thanks to a good deal of practice that he was able maintain his calm facade.

"He is unconscious and needs undisturbed rest, Mr Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey told him bluntly, not about to waver on that. "I will send word to you when he is awake," she offered.

"I need to see him," Draco snarled, nearly clipping Harry in the face with his left wing as he spread them suddenly. He couldn't see what it would matter, given that the potions Madam Pomfrey was giving Snape would keep him unconscious. The nurse was, however, remaining stubbornly in his way and Harry was maintaining his hold.

"Snape's going to be okay, Draco," Harry pointed out, to his obviously upset and agitated mate, "you can see him later." Harry was worried that Draco was getting too worked up, and he knew that an emotional outburst would do nothing to help Draco or anyone else; least of all the unborn child that Draco was carrying.

"Draco, please," Harry said as he placed a hand on his boyfriend’s cheek, actively projecting feelings of calm across their Erote bond. It was a little strange to do, as they had not had need of it in such a way in some time, but it still wasn’t long before the blond stopped fighting against his hold.

Draco let out a long slow sigh as the tension and agitation started to melt away. Relaxing his wings he turned back to his mate, tucking his head under Harry’s chin as he cuddled against the dominant's chest. He was glad when Madam Pomfrey headed back off to finish off making the bed he had been working on before, giving them a little privacy.

“We need to go tell your father,” Harry told him in little more than a hushed whisper, so that only the two of them could hear, brushing his fingers over Draco's wings affectionately.

Draco seemed to be relaxed against his boyfriend’s chest but when he looked up at Harry, his eyes were narrowed. “Yes," he agreed. "And then we need to have a word with our dear headmaster about keeping others properly informed,” the blond added firmly.

Harry just held his mate close for a few moments longer, but privately, he agreed.


	25. Excuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 25; this chapter did not want to be written for the longest time, but finally here it is. You will be glad to know chapter 26 is already progressing better than this one did, so hopefully the wait will not be so long again.   
> Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

Draco pulled away from his mate and left the Medical Wing quite suddenly, so suddenly that it took a moment for Harry to realise what had happened. Harry had to actually jog to catch up with Draco, whose purple wings were half-open, flexing sporadically with the tension in his body. Harry saw several students in the younger years in the corridor outside the Medical Wing having to duck hurriedly out of the way of his mate.

"Hey, hey! Draco, wait up," Harry requested, as he narrowly managed to dodge being hit by a twitching mass of purple feathers as he came up next to his boyfriend and matched Draco's long, determined strides.

Draco, however, showed no reaction to Harry's presence, nor any inclination to slow his furious pace and it was only thanks to his height advantage and longer stride that Harry was managing to keep up.

Harry knew that Draco was not in the mood to listen to reason at the moment but he knew he had to try something before the wrong person ended up facing Draco's wrath. "I'm upset too, you know," Harry told his mate, ignoring the disapproving looks they were getting from two seventh year Slytherin boys who were heading the other way.

"Upset?" Draco growled incredulously. He stopped suddenly and turned to face Harry, staring at his mate for a few seconds before he seemed able to find the words.  "You think I am upset?" he demanded to know, his whole body practically pulsating with furious energy.

"Erm..." Harry mumbled, feeling taken aback by the sudden outburst. In truth he had thought exactly that; it was what he was feeling, along with guilt, remorse, a fair dose of anger at both Voldemort and Dumbledore, and of course the ever present concern for Draco. And yet, it seemed strikingly obvious that 'yes' was not the answer that Draco was looking for.

"This is _our_ fault," Draco said in a deadly whisper, jabbing Harry in the chest with his index finger. It wasn't something that had dawned on his right away, but the pieces had fallen into place once Harry had helped calm him down. "Snape could have _died_ and it would have been... _our_... _fault_ ," Draco told him, punctuating the last few words with additional prodding.

Harry sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't really had a chance to stop and think about why Severus had been summoned, but now that he did, it seemed obvious that it was related to the article. And he remembered exactly whose idea that had been.

"It is _my_ fault," Harry said sadly, a fresh wave of guilt flowing through him. "The article was my idea," he reminded his mate, wanting Draco to know that he was taking his share of the blame in all this. He had just wanted them to be able to stop hiding, he had never meant for anyone to get hurt.

"That's right!" Draco said in realisation, poking at Harry with his finger again, his eyes narrowed at his mate and to most people the look might have been cold, heartless, but Harry thought it that it seemed to be taking great effort for Draco to hold back all the emotions he was feeling. "It was your stupid idea. You did this!" the blond accused.

Harry felt as though he had just been slapped and couldn't do anything but stare, open-mouthed at his submissive mate. Sure, he felt guilty and was blaming himself for what had happened to Snape, but Harry hadn't actually expected his bonded to pin it _all_ on him.

"Well I didn't mean for this to happen," Harry pointed out; no badly he and Snape got along, he didn't actually wish ill fortune upon the man. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" he explain, needing to defend himself, not least because he couldn't stand the idea that his mate would hate him for what had happened.

"No," Draco said derisively, "I guess you never do." His words were heavy with accusation and face emotionless, and the blond crossed his arms over his chest as he met Harry's eye.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded angrily. His voice was rising and he couldn't even bring himself to care about who heard them now, because he couldn't deny how much his mate's words hurt.

They hadn't discussed it specifically but Harry couldn't help but wonder if his mate had deliberately stuck on such a sore subject; was it possible that Draco had worked out how guilty Harry still felt about Sirius' and Cedric's deaths and decided to use it against him. Or was the submissive referring to the danger that they all live in, thanks to Harry's connection to Voldemort?

Draco stared at his for a few moments before he finally spoke. "Nothing, doesn't mean anything," Draco grumbled dismissively with a wave of his arm, turning to stare out of a nearby window, apparently unable to face Harry. "It's just," he said more quietly, though there was still anger in his voice, "why didn't you think this through?"

"Me?" Harry asked incredulously. "Why didn't you?! You were completely on board with everything until about five minutes ago," Harry pointed out in frustration, throwing his arms in the air and turning away from his mate and taking a deep breath. "And besides," he went on more calmly turning back to Draco once more, "we don't know for certain exactly what happened."

Draco's whole body went rigid and he turned to glare at Harry for that. Clearly he didn't intend to even dignify his mate with a response.

"Okay, fine," Harry said with a sigh. "I admit, we can hazard a pretty good guess, but shouldn't we wait until we can talk to Snape about this before we really start putting it all on my shoulders?" he suggested hopefully.

"Fine!" Draco said angrily, sounding very much like he thought it was anything but. He glared at Harry a moment longer but before the dominant could say anything, Draco pushed passed him, heading off down the corridor, towards the dungeons once more. Harry could only assume that his mate was going to let Lucius know that Professor Snape was back at Hogwarts, and at least alive.

"And you might want to save some of the blame for Voldemort," Harry hissed under his breath. He wasn't sure if his bonded had heard the last bit of what he said; he wasn't totally certain it had come out in English. Either way, it was clear that Draco was in a foul mood and apparently more than willing to take it out on Harry.

Harry did understand why Draco was hurting and that the submissive was looking for someone to blame, and he would allow that to some extent, but he certainly wasn't going to just sit back and take it all. His instincts were telling him to take Draco back to their rooms and hold him, calm him, try and settle Draco's emotions through the Erote bond between them. However he didn't want to go down that road unless he really had to.

Draco might be a submissive Erote, but Harry never wanted to force his mate's thoughts or feelings, he never wanted to make Draco into a puppet; he was determined not to take away Draco’s independence. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure it would work at the moment anyway, given how wound up he himself felt at the moment. This was clearly something they would need to work through together, the old fashioned way.

Harry took a deep calming breath and ran a hand through his hair as he steeled himself and followed Draco off down the corridor. It had already been a long day and it didn’t seem like it was going to get any better. 'S _uch a shame really_ , _given how well it started,_ ' Harry thought to himself. It seemed he had an afternoon of a grumpy boyfriend, a probably hung-over father-in-law, and a likely endless supply of guilt over the suffering Potion Master to look forward to.

-#-

"Father?" Lucius heard Draco ask from outside the door to Severus' room.

Lucius looked up at the sound of his son's voice; he was sat in the same chair as before, though he had moved it closer to the entrance, not wanting to miss Draco's return. He was glad he had, given that Draco was speaking fairly quietly, presumably not wanting to attract undue attention.

"Yes, Draco; I am here," Lucius intoned, rubbing at his forehead to ease the headache he could feel developing. _‘It’s not like I have anywhere else to go_ ,’ he thought bitterly. “Do you have news?” he asked, tiredly, pushing himself up from his seat.

"Professor Snape is alive,” Draco told him quickly. “He is in the medical wing."

The wave of pure relief that Lucius felt was almost overwhelming and he took a deep shuddering breath as he let it sink in that the foolish man was at least not dead, as he had begun to fear. He felt that it was perhaps it was a good thing that there was no-one to see the look on his face at that moment, because there would have been no denying his feelings for the Potion Master after that.

Now that it was sinking in just how close he had come to losing Severus, Lucius wasn’t sure how he had managed to hold himself together for so long; though he was sure that Severus would say that the quantity of brandy Lucius had indulged in did not qualify as holding one's self together. Lucius smiled at the thought and found himself longing for the barbed words the other man would throw at him.

"How is he?" Lucius asked, his voice coming out raspy. He picked up his glass of water from the small table next to the chair and took a sip;  he felt mildly annoyed when it was no longer as cold as he would have liked but it at least eased the discomfort of his parched throat.

"The nurse wouldn't let me see him," Draco admitted, sounding quite bitter about that, and Lucius was quite pleased to realise that he was not the only Malfoy who had been worried for Severus. "Madam Pomfrey seemed quite certain that he will make a full recovery," Draco added.

The expression 'full recovery' was somewhat disconcerting and made it sound like the Dark Lord had dealt with Severus harshly. ' _No surprise there_ ,' Lucius supposed, though it still churned his stomach to think of what had likely been done to his lover. He had too many firsthand experiences of what the Dark Lord's wrath could mean to delude himself.

"Father?" Draco called out softly, sounding concerned and Lucius realised that he had not responded.

"I am here.  Thank you. I am glad to hear he will be all right," Lucius told his son, pulling himself from his thoughts. ' _Glad... now there's an understatement_ ,' he thought. "You will keep me updated? Seeing as the _delightful_ Dumbledore is apparently incapable of doing so." Lucius was sure his words sounded as bitter as his son's had a moment earlier.

"Of course," Draco promised earnestly, and Lucius was rather touched by the sincerity in his son's voice.

"We are going to... have a word with the Headmaster with regards to keeping others informed," someone else said and Lucius recognised it to be Potter. Lucius had begun to wonder if Draco had come alone but it seemed not.

He did wonder if perhaps the Gryffindor had realised where the large part of the blame lay for Severus’s current state; however, Lucius was surprised to note that Potter's voice had the same frustrated and annoyed tone that Draco's did. It seemed that Headmaster Dumbledore wasn't in anyone's favour today; it was a thought that made him feel a rather vindictive pleasure. If Potter wanted to lay some of the blame down on the old fool’s shoulders, Lucius wouldn't be the one to stop him.

"I'll come back later," Draco promised.  "I will try to get in to see in to see Professor Snape after dinner; hopefully he will be conscious by then."

"Very well," Lucius said, his voice deliberately emotionless. He didn't much fancy the idea of being left alone again but was all too aware that there was no alternative; it wasn't as though Draco could just linger in the hallway until Severus was fully recovered.

He did, however, take comfort in that it would only be a few hours until his son returned, hopefully with more news. ' _And it better be news of a positive kind_ ,' Lucius thought viciously, ' _or someone will pay for it.'_

-#-

Dinner at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall was a tense affair. Draco was stubbornly not speaking to anyone and taking particular care to ignore Harry. The two of them were getting a steady stream of questioning looks from Pansy and Blaise; though Hermione seemed to be determined to give the pair of Slytherins a run for their money, despite being  on the other side of the hall at the Gryffindor table.

Harry just simply responded with a subtle shake of his head and hoped they got the message because he wasn't going to discuss the day's events over dinner and Draco didn't seem to be in the mood to discuss anything at all. Harry discreetly slid a hand onto Draco's thigh under the table, which caused the blond to turn and give him the deadliest expression the submissive had given him since they had gotten together.

"I thought you might want a bit of my magic, so that you can go see Snape without me in tow," Harry explained in whisper; the energy transfer wasn't as effective with clothing between them, but it still would help sustain Draco for a while. "I didn't think you would want me there. I can stop if you want," he added quickly, removing his hand from Draco's person.

Draco, however, grabbed Harry's hand before the dominant could move it more than a few inches and placed it back on his leg again, feeling a surprisingly rare twinge of frustration with his pregnancy and how dependent on Harry it made him.

"Stop being so damned understanding," Draco grumbled in annoyance, making Harry chuckle lightly. Harry leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of Draco's scowling mouth.

"Sorry," Harry whispered teasingly, a mildly amused smirk on his face, "shall I start being a complete bastard?" He was realising that Draco really was just looking for someone to be angry at.

Draco just turned and glared at Harry again, before going back to making quick work of his dinner. Blaise and Pansy were sharing suspicious looks with each other but wisely didn't comment and it was barely five minutes later when Draco silently rose from his seat and hastily left the Great Hall.

Blaise watched in amazement as he watching his best friend stormed from the room, before turning to Harry and shuffling over into the space Draco had vacated. "What in Merlin's name did you do?" Blaise asked Harry urgently, "or is this a 'Draco is angry at you because that is easier than being angry at himself' situation?"

Harry frowned at that, cocking his head at Blaise considering. "A bit of both, I suppose," he admitted. He had figured out that a lot of this was about Draco deflecting, but he was surprised that Blaise had figured that out so quickly.

"What happened?" Pansy asked eagerly, pushing her plate off to one side and leaning over from the other side of the table to ensure she didn't miss a thing.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Draco's friends. "Nothing that we are going to talk about here," Harry told her firmly. He had to stifle a laugh at the disappointed expressions that he spotted, not only on Pansy and Blaise's faces, but on several of the other students’, those who had been close enough to eavesdrop, as well.

"Does this have to do with...?" Blaise started to say, with a glance towards the Potion Master's usual seat at the teacher's table, which was currently empty.

"Blaise," Harry interrupted sternly, his pointed glare saying it all.

"Yes, yes, fine!" Blaise agreed impatiently, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You just better have a good explanation for Draco's mood or else," he warned. He didn't believe he and Pansy would have to protect Draco from Harry, but they would if it came to it.

Harry gave him an unimpressed look at the Slytherin's threat. "Yes," he said dryly, "because I would absolutely risk sitting over here with you, rather than at the Gryffindor table, if I had done something that was going to bring _all_ of the Slytherin wrath down upon me," he intoned sarcastically.

Pansy apparently approved, if her amused smirk was anything to go by.

-#-

It was only his strict upbringing and Malfoy blood that kept Draco from running all the way to the hospital wing and demanding to see the Potion Master. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so guilty; it wasn't an emotion he usually allowed himself to feel. 

He was glad that Harry was at least ready to shoulder his fair share of the blame. ' _Perhaps even more than his fair share?'_ Draco's conscience prompted, with far more honesty than he had managed since they had first discovered that Professor Snape had been put in danger because of the article. He stomped that thought down quickly though; there was part of him knew that perhaps he was being unduly harsh with Harry but he didn't feel quite ready to fully acknowledge it yet.

He at least needed to speak with Professor Snape and evaluate the damage done, before starting on the process of truly doling out responsibility. That was, of course, assuming that the Potion Master didn't beat him to it and wasn't already sitting and waiting to levy punishment against Draco for their actions.

It was that chilling thought that made the blond hesitate and slow his pace, feeling apprehensive about facing  the potions master; however, his curiosity and concern for the man won out. He was not about to let the Professor Snape intimidate enough to keep him away. Worse-case scenario, he could always pin it on Harry; the Potions Master would believe that without a doubt.

No matter how the blame fell, Draco at least felt confident that Harry would never let anything happen to Draco or their unborn child anyway. It was a reassuring thought, giving him a strong feeling of security and Draco smirked at the somewhat giddy feeling that that kind of power over someone gave him.

However, the expression slid from his face as the large doors to the Medical Wing came into view. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as he mentally braced himself and did his very best to place the remaining guilt into a locked corner of his mind. He straightened his robes and ran a hand over his hair, before he stepped through the door.

"Mr Malfoy!" the nurse said, in a carrying and annoyed voice when she spotted him entering the Medical Wing. "I thought I had made myself plainly clear when I told you that..."

"I am already awake," Snape's sneering voice interrupted from behind the screen at the far end of the ward. "I will speak with Mr Malfoy," the Potions Master insisted. "I am perfectly capable of conversing without it negatively impacting on the remainder of my recovery."

The nurse gave a huff that clearly indicated just how put upon she felt. It was no secret that she held very little tolerance for stubborn patients, particularly those who believed themselves qualified to evaluate their own medical needs. However, she waved a hand for Draco to follow as she turned  and headed the length of the room.

"Honestly, Severus," Madam Pomfrey said with exasperation, as she stepped around the curtain, Draco only a pace behind her. He was rather shocked to see just how pale and tired Professor looked.

"I can come back later," Draco said quickly. He wanted to speak with the man, but he couldn't help but think that maybe Madam Pomfrey might be right about Professor Snape needing rest.

"Sit," the professor said firmly, a finger pointing to a seat close to the head of the bed. Severus' voice demanded obedience and it didn't occur to Draco to not comply with the instruction and he was seated almost before he realised what had happened.

"Mr Malfoy can stay," Madam Pomfrey agreed, not sounding at all pleased by this. " _However,_ " she added in a loud voice, when it looked as though she was about to be interrupted by her most consistently obstinate patient, "you _will_ stay in bed; you _will not_ attempt to leave here until I have decided you are ready to; and most certainly _will not_ recruit Mr Malfoy, or any other student, or member of staff for that matter, to assist you in avoiding the care and attention I have decided you currently require."

Draco avoided looking at either of the adults in the room, instead taking a sudden interest in his own shoes; he really didn't want to witness the man who he greatly respected being chastised like a badly behaved child, nor did he enjoy finding himself in the middle of the surprisingly tense moment.

"Very well," the Potions Master bit out through clenched teeth and Madam Pomfrey gave a nod of approval before heading back around the curtain to leave the tem alone. Draco couldn't even begin make out the grumbled words that Snape muttered under his breath once the nurse had finally left.

It was with definite apprehension that Draco looked up and met the narrowed glare of Professor Snape. There was a long, heavy silence between them, however, when Snape finally spoke, the words were not quite the ones of accusation Draco had expected.

"Please tell me that you have informed your father that I am alive," the Potions Master said sternly, "I suspect that our esteemed headmaster might have... accidentally... overlooked Lucius, in his haste to ensure my well being," he added in a dry, humourless tone.

Draco nodded in confirmation. "My father was quite concerned," Draco told him. "Though, from the sound of him, I expect your liquor cabinet may take longer to recover than you will," he joked, the corner of his mouth turning up in amusement.

Snape snorted, rather enjoying the mental image of his normally cool, calm and collected lover so inebriated. "I am somewhat sorry to have missed seeing your father in such a state," he commented.

"You and me both," Draco admitted; he was glad that the Potion Master didn’t seem to be in the foul mood he had expected. "The wards kept me and Harry from being able to get in," he explained quickly.

“That was their purpose,” Snape told him bluntly. “I wished to avoid stray persons from coming across Lucius. No-one other than me will be able to pass through them,” he said in his teaching voice, the one he usually saved for particularly obtuse first-year students.

“No-one?” Draco asked in worried surprise, sitting upright in his chair and narrowing his eyes at Snape. “But you nearly died. You would have left him trapped in there?” the blond demanded angrily.

“Foolish child! I would do no such thing,” Snape barked impatiently; Draco was fairly sure it was taking all the man’s will power not to get out of the bed and tower over him, like he was used to doing. “The house-elves have access the room. Besides, if I _had_ died then the wards would have fallen,” he pointed out.

“And then my father would have been free to return to _Him_ ," Draco pointed out with a huff. "That is so much better,” he said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Firstly," Snape said, narrowing his eyes at the sulking teen, " there is more magic than just my own holding your father in that room. And secondly, I do not think he would return to his former master as readily as you think, Draco,” Snape told him.

Draco, however, didn’t look convinced; and he found he was far more comfortable feeling angry than he had been dealing with the guilt he had been feeling before. He looked away from the Potions Master and found a point on the floor to watch, not wanting to get into an argument with Snape about Lucius' trustworthiness. He didn't really know what to say to the professor and honestly, now that he had seen for himself that Professor Snape was truly okay, he was ready to leave; preferably before the man remembered the part Draco had played in his suffering.

“The newspaper was a _fascinating_ read this morning,” Snape said conversationally, but Draco wasn’t fooled. “It was amazing how that reporter managed to get such personal information and photographs,” he went on, his voice tense and mocking, though with annoyance rather than any trace of humour. “For a moment I thought that you and Potter must have actually provided it yourselves," he went on sarcastically. "But then I thought to myself that, while Potter might have been reckless enough to do such a thing, surely Draco Malfoy, the intelligent young man I know, would have had more sense.”

Draco knew that if he found the courage to look up, the Potions Master’s expression would be stern and cold, black eyes glaring into his soul with disapproval. Draco hated that he had let Snape down, but, when they had made all their plans for the article, he really had not believed this would be the result.

“We didn’t think that...” Draco mumbled towards the floor, his voice trailing off to nothing, already knowing that Professor Snape was not going to accept that excuse, that there was nothing he could say to make what had happened okay.

“Didn't think what?" Snape asked angrily. "That the Dark Lord might want to know why I had failed to inform him about the relationship between one of his supposedly loyal followers and Harry Potter? Or perhaps that the Dark Lord might not be pleased to find out through the Daily Prophet, of all places? Or how about, that he might take that anger out on the spy who is supposed to keep him informed with regards to the goings on at Hogwarts?”

“Well I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to have not told him about me and Harry," Draco snapped, looking up to glare at the Potions Master, "given that it was going to come out eventually, one way or another.” The teenager’s eyes went wide as he realised that he had just called his Professor, one of the few people he could currently trust, stupid. ' _Great job, Draco_ ,' he thought sarcastically.

The Potions Master, however, just looked kind of stunned; Snape was surprised by the blond’s outburst, but it was more that maybe Draco had a point. It had been foolish to think that the Dark Lord would never find out about their young couple’s relationship and it was inevitable that the backlash was going to be bad. He had to wonder how he had let the Headmaster talk him into such a course of action.

Had Dumbledore realised that this was the likely outcome? Severus was no fool, he knew that the old man considered him expendable and would sacrifice him without compunction if it meant they would win the war, but still... The idea that he might have been manipulated into the hell he had suffered made him nauseous. He had just wanted to protect Lucius' son, and Lily's too he supposed, and Dumbledore had taken advantage of that.

“Sir...?” Draco asked hesitantly, apparently having been able to see something in the Potions Master’s expression. “Are you okay, Sir?” he asked with worry in his voice.

“Leave,” the Professor said slowly, still deep in his own thoughts and wanting to be left alone to mull them over.

“Sir," Draco said, wondering if he should apologise. He had no idea what had made him speak so bluntly; it was such a Gryffindor thing to have done, when holding his tongue would have been the smart move. "I didn’t mean to...”

“Get out!” Snape interrupted angrily. ' _Damn teenagers and their inability to do as they are told_ ,' he thought grumpily. He wasn't actually all that angry about what Draco had said, but he really needed time to think and he was angry that the blond was not letting him have that.

Draco was a bit stunned at having been shouted at, but got to his feet intending to do as instructed. However, he hesitated, biting his bottom lip a little as he tried to find the right words. “Sir...”

“Draco...” Snape said firmly in warning, cutting him off.

Thankfully for the Potions Master’s sanity, Draco finally got the message and turned to leave. Snape watched as purple wings disappeared past the screen still around his bed and could hear light footsteps echoing off the walls before the sound of the door at the far end of the Medical Wing told him that he was alone.

-#-

“What’s going on?” Hermione asked in hushed tones, grabbing hold of Harry’s arm and pulling him over to one side, as they all headed out of the Great Hall.

“I think we all want to know that,” Pansy agreed with eager curiosity and Blaise nodded in agreement, as they came to stand with Harry, Ron and Hermione by one of the walls in the Entrance Hall .

Harry felt quite claustrophobic, being surrounded by of his and Draco’s closest friends, all of them demanding explanations, and so couldn’t help it when his wings suddenly burst out of his back. Many of the students in the Entrance Hall, including his friends, jumped at the sudden appearance of green feathers.

“Hey, guys. Is everything okay?” Ginny asked hesitantly as she came over to join the little group, looking between them in confusion. “Does this have anything to do with why Malfoy stormed out of  dinner earlier?” she asked, eyeing up Harry's wings with interest.

Harry groaned, and turned to rest his forehead on the cold stone of the wall behind him. He knew that his friends were just trying to be supportive but it had been a really long few days and he really didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't even sure what he could say to them, as he was certain that Snape wouldn't want people talking about him.

“Harry?” Ron asked in a confused and worried voice.

“I’m fine,” Harry muttered, not wanting to move his head from the cool surface that was easing the headache that was starting to form, remaining happily hidden behind his half folded wings.

“No offence, Potter, but you don’t exactly look it,” Blaise commented and Harry could tell that the Slytherin was smirking, even without being able to see him.

“I need to talk to Dumbledore,” Harry told them suddenly and with determination, as much to change the subject as anything. Turning to face those surrounding him, he stepped past them so that he could breathe a little easier. He hadn’t appreciated Blaise’s comment much and so it might not have been a complete accident when the tip of his wing brushed against Blaise’s hand.

“Hi, Weasley,” Blaise simpered, leaning a bit closer to the red-headed girl, his entire attention on Ginny. This was, of course, much to Harry and Pansy's great amusement.

 “Hi...” Ginny said hesitantly, looking at Blaise strangely, trying to work out what he was up to. Ron  narrowed his eyes suspiciously too, glaring at Blaise for a moment before turning to Ginny and then Harry in turn.

“Okay, sure, Harry. Why don't we all head up to Dumbledore's office now,” Hermione suggested, knowing full well what Harry had just done and not wanting to give Ron time to dwell on it.

“No, no, it’s fine," Harry said dismissively. "You guys go back to the common rooms. When I have spoken to Dumbledore, and Draco is done with Snape, we will have more answers,” he told them, heading off towards the Grand Staircase. “Draco and I will explain as best we can then,” Harry called back to his friends, hoping that his mate would be talking to him again by that point.

“Harry!” Hermione called out after him, but Harry didn't stop, and continued on up the staircase, presumably towards the Headmaster’s office. She frowned, not liking that Harry was shutting them out, trying to take care of everything by himself but knowing that there was only so much they could actually do.

Pansy too was feeling annoyed with being left out of the loop, and was frowning as Harry disappeared up another flight of stairs and out of sight. “Now what?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Now Zabini stops ogling my sister,” Ron said testily, drawing attention back to the way that Blaise was eyeing up Ginny.

Ginny, however, just rolled her eyes at her brother's protectiveness. “Shut up, Ronald," she told him bluntly. "As long as Blaise has the good sense to keep his hands to himself, his eyes can wander wherever they like,” she said, winking at Blaise before wandering off laughing.

Ron scowled at his sister's back, before turning to Blaise once more. “I am keeping an eye on you,” Ron warned, pointing a finger at the Slytherin boy.

“Well I am flattered, Weasley, but your little sister is more my type,” Blaise teased, though he was still fixated on Ginny, his gaze on her arse as she walked away from them. “Besides, you heard her," he added, finally turning to grin at Ron when Ginny disappeared out of sight, "I have permission to ogle.”

“Don’t wind him up,” Hermione said in an exasperated tone, grabbing hold of Ron's arm before the red-head could decide to discourage Blaise's interest in Ginny.

“Well he shouldn’t make it so easy then,” Blaise said, as Pansy linked her arm through his and started to lead him away.

"Leave him, Ron," Hermione said firmly and gave Ron's arm a few firm tugs; he stubbornly held his ground for a moment but then let Hermione lead him away and together the two of them headed off towards the Gryffindor common room.

-#-

Harry had tried to put his wings away but he just couldn’t do it; he suspected it was to do with not being able to settle his thoughts and he made a mental note to get Hermione or Draco to help him research it later. For the moment though, he had other issues to deal with. He frowned at the gargoyle that was keeping him out of the Headmaster's office. He had realised that he had no idea what the password was and he thought, not for the first time, that having a Headmaster’s office that the students couldn’t even get to the door of was less than helpful.

“Sherbet Lemon,” he said hopefully, but the statue showed no signs of moving. “Cockroach Clusters, Acid Pops, Sugar Quills, Cauldron Cakes, Ice Mice, Ginger Newts....”

Harry stopped when the Gargoyle moved and the entrance to the stairway was revealed. He had been reeling off the list of sweets so quickly that he wasn’t even sure which of them had been right, but he shrugged it off, not really caring a great deal. All he wanted at that moment was to speak with the Headmaster and get some answers; for Draco’s sake, as much as his own.

“Enter,” Dumbledore’s voice called out right away when Harry rapped firmly on the door. “Ah, Harry, my boy, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked with a pleased expression.

“Do you actually care that Snape got hurt?” Harry asked, fighting to control his temper as he took a few steps into the office towards where the older man was sitting behind the large desk. “Did it occur to you that Lucius Malfoy might want to know Snape was alive?”

“I believe it is possible that I might even care more about _Professor_ Snape than you do, Harry,” Dumbledore said in an overly calm voice, steepling his fingers and peering over the top of his glasses. “And certainly I have cared for longer. Though, I am glad to see that _you_ care enough that his suffering bothers you.”

“Bothers me? Of course, it bothers me,” Harry said with exasperation and a wild wave of his arms. He was slightly taken aback that the Headmaster would think otherwise. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Dumbledore gave a slow nod of his head. “I do, however, find myself a somewhat perplexed as to the reasoning behind the article in this morning’s paper,” the Headmaster said, and if the man’s eyes had lost a little of their usual twinkle, Harry wasn’t going to mention it. “I presume that it was published with the permission both Mr Malfoy and yourself?”

Harry nodded; the apparent change of subject made him sure that Dumbledore had made the same associations between Snape's fate and the article but while he had tolerated Draco blaming him, he wasn't going to give Dumbledore the same courtesy.

“We just wanted something to happen our own terms for once,” Harry explained, his eyes and posture speaking of his fierce determination. “It isn’t like we meant for Snape, or anyone, to get hurt!”

“ _Professor_ Snape, Harry,” Dumbledore chastised, “and it was not my intention to place the blame for Professor’s Snape’s current condition upon your shoulders; I am certainly that is more of a burden there than there ever should be for one so young.”

“Like hell it wasn’t,” Harry mumbled under his breath, not buying the Headmaster's understanding for a moment; he had never had any indication that Dumbledore wanted to lighten his burden. “And," Harry ploughed on, raising his voice, "we had every right to release that information."

“Of course, my boy. Though might it not have been wise to discuss it with at least one the many adults who have been risking their lives to try and keep you safe?” Dumbledore asked in the most patronising voice Harry had ever heard him use.

Harry was surprised that his temper was holding and suspected that it was being subdued a little by the twinges of guilt that kept creeping into his mind. He had been finding it very difficult not to regret the outcome of the morning’s publication, though he was determined not to. It was something he hoped would become easier once they knew for certain that Snape was going to make a full recovery.

“Wise...?” Harry gave that an honest moment’s thought. “In retrospect, maybe,” he admitted. “But we thought you would have stopped us from publishing the article completely,” Harry said coldly, his face not betraying his conflicted feelings on the whole situation; apparently he had learnt a few things about emotional masks from Draco. “And that would have negated the point of us having some control for once.” ' _Negated_ ,' Harry thought smugly; oh, the things his mate was teaching him, because that was definitely a Slytherin word if he had ever heard one.

“You asked me to help ensure the safety of your young family,” Dumbledore said, leaning forward over his desk. “Rash decisions, such as this, make that rather more difficult; though I understand, of course, that this was not your intention.”

“I didn’t _ask_ ,” Harry pointed out petulantly, “you just offered. I will keep Draco and our baby safe, with, or without, your help; or anyone else’s for that matter.” Harry crossed his arms over his chest. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard, there was no doubting that, but that wasn’t enough of a reason to let the Headmaster control their lives; it didn’t give Dumbledore the right to tell them what choices to make.

The Headmaster said nothing to that and just continued to watch Harry curiously, as though the young man was an interesting puzzle to figure out; it was setting Harry’s last nerve on edge.

“And I still don’t understand why you didn’t let Lucius Malfoy know when you knew that Sna...” Harry reluctantly stopped and corrected himself under the Headmaster’s stern gaze, “ _Professor_ Snape was going to be okay.”

Dumbledore sighed, leaning back in his chair one more. “It was merely an oversight on my part,” he said sadly, “one that I sincerely apologise for.”

“It isn’t me who needs your apologies,” Harry said, surprised by the weariness of the older man’s voice. Dumbledore sounded tired and regretful, and Harry was sure that in the past it might have been enough to cause his anger to fade to sympathy, but not this time.

“No, I suppose not,” the old man conceded. “I shall make sure to speak with both Professor Snape and Mr Malfoy tomorrow. I am sure they will both be flattered that you care so much about their well being.”

Harry scowled at that, feeling that the Headmaster was simply mocking him, or else indulging the whim of a child. “Thank you, Sir,” he said tersely.

“You are most welcome, my boy,” the Headmaster said with a fond smile and whether he was oblivious to Harry’s insincerity or just deliberately ignoring it was unclear. Either way, it only added to Harry's frustrated mood.

The silence that followed hung awkwardly between them. Harry was sure that there had been more he had to say but, with his blood pulsing loudly in his ears, he couldn’t remember for the life of him what it was.

“I should go,” Harry mumbled, just wanting to get out of there. It had been a really long day; he wanted to go find his mate, to make sure that Draco was okay and hopefully get a good night's sleep.

“Very well,” Dumbledore said with a small nod. “Do take care of yourself, and Draco. Please do give him my apologies for the worry I have inadvertently caused his father.”

Harry managed to force a smile, which he knew wouldn’t reach his eyes and likely wasn’t as convincing as one Draco could have managed, before turning from the Headmaster and heading out of the room.

Harry vaguely wondered if the man’s platitudes had always sounded so insincere and he had just been too trusting to notice. Or if the article had finally made the Headmaster realise that Harry and Draco were not going to play ball, in whatever game the old man was playing. Either way he was done listening to what was blatantly nothing more than words.

He was mulling everything over as he headed towards the Gryffindor tower and let out a quiet groan of frustration when he remembered that he had promised his friends an explanation. He really was too tired and not in any sort of mood to be true to do so; though he was curious to hear if Draco had managed to speak with Snape.

-#-

As Draco left the hospital wing, his mind was a turmoil of emotions. The conversation with Professor Snape had gone both better and worse than he had expected, all at the same time. The Professor didn't really seem all that angry at either him or Harry, but then, when he had been thrown out, the man had looked really... hurt?

Draco shook his head at the craziness of that thought, and filed it away for later consideration; perhaps when he didn't have a hundred different thoughts buzzing around in his mind. He was even wondering if perhaps he might even be able to salvage some respect out of the situation.  After all, it wasn’t every day you told a Hogwarts Professor to his face that he was stupid and got away with it!

He stopped in the corridor and looked around; it was empty and he figured most students were probably either in the library desperately trying to finish off homework, or else had returned to their common rooms. He wondered where Harry was now.

 _'Hopefully in our rooms working on a really great apology_ ,' Draco thought with a salacious little smile. He was still a little angry at Harry but, at this point, was fairly sure that the right words, hugs and kisses could probably win him over.

That thought putting him in a somewhat better mood, Draco decided to head for bed, with or without Harry. And so Draco started off again, and found his footsteps instinctively leading him towards the Slytherin common room.


	26. Equivocation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 26; I am delighted with how well this chapter has come together, and I believe this is the longest chapter we have had for this story yet.  
> Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

 “Draco!” Blaise called out when the blond came into the Slytherin common room. The Italian hurriedly put away a letter from his mother that he and Pansy had been discussing and got to his feet, determined to get the blond’s attention, his expression clearly demanding an explanation of the day’s events.

 _'Damn it,'_ Draco thought in frustration. It had been a _really_ long and stressful day, and at that moment he just wanted to sleep. So it was without a trace of a smile that he turned to face his friend. He was not exactly pleased to see that Blaise was not alone; Pansy was at Blaise’s side, the same expectant look on her face.

“Potter promised us an explanation once you returned,” Blaise told him bluntly.

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Well I suggest you take that up with him then,” he said with a smirk, turning and heading across the common room towards the portrait that protected his and Harry’s rooms.

“Draco...” Pansy whined, quickening her pace to be at his side, Blaise strolling along behind her.

“What, Pansy?” Draco snapped impatiently, stopping and turning to glare at the girl. He really was not in the mood to talk to her or have to explain himself; he was still feeling seriously out of sorts after arguing with Harry and the conversation he had had with Professor Snape.

“Whoa!” Pansy said, holding up her hands in surrender at the sight of the annoyance in Draco’s eyes. “We just want to know what is going on,” she told him. “You and Potter have us worried. Are the two of you okay?”

Draco let out a tired sigh. There was really nothing to be gained by alienating his friends, especially given that none of his current problems or worries were their doing. “We’re fine,” he told her quietly. “Or at least we will be,” he said, correcting himself with a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s just been a long day and I really want to go to bed.”

It was a lot more honest that he usually would have been, but he was exhausted and did feel a flicker of guilt for keeping Pansy and Blaise in the dark; the two of them had been so much more supportive than he would have believed possible, or would have ever asked for. It was as much as he could offer them at the moment though, because, despite his current anger with his boyfriend, he found himself desperately wanting to curl up with Harry. It was probably the need for a magical energy transfer; at least that was what he was telling himself.

“Okay, fine!” Pansy said sulkily, crossing her arms over her chest. “But tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow we will explain,” Draco agreed wearily, nodding his head once. If Harry had promised them an explanation then Harry would likely insist on that anyway. Draco was hopeful that he would feel more like talking after a good night’s sleep.

Turning from his friends, Draco gave the password and headed into his and Harry’s rooms; he was surprised to find them empty. _‘Perhaps Harry is with his friends_ ,’ Draco supposed.

He pushed open the door to the Gryffindor common room hesitantly; he had never had cause to use it before and wasn’t certain what kind of reception to expect on the other side. He peered through the doorway and was glad to spot Granger and Weasley sitting at one of the tables, bickering about something; however, there was no sign of Harry.

“Granger!” Draco called out in a hushed shout, trying, in vain, not to draw the attention of the other Gryffindors in the room. Ron and Hermione both turned to look at him; unfortunately so did several others, but the blond just ignored their stares and mutterings.

“Malfoy?” Weasley said dumbly, a confused frown on his face as he and Granger got up from where they were sat and came over to Draco.

“No, I’m clearly Godric Gryffindor himself,” Draco said sarcastically, his voice droll and unamused.

“Funny,” Weasley bit back, his cheeks flushing slightly and making Draco wonder if all Gryffindors blushed that easily. “What are you doing here?” the red-head demanded rudely.

“Ron!” Granger chastised, giving Ron’s arm a slap with the back of her hand.

“Hi to you too,” the blond sneered, before turning to Granger. “Where’s Harry?” he asked her; he certainly had no intention of dealing with Weasley if the red-head couldn’t even manage basic manners.

“Harry went to speak with Dumbledore after dinner,” Granger told him, eyeing Malfoy with suspicion, trying to work out what was going on with him. “We haven’t seen him since then.”

Draco frowned. He had been under the impression that he and Harry were going to speak with the Headmaster together, given a lot of the grievances were Draco’s rather than Harry’s. Draco was sure that Harry meant well but it bothered him that it apparently hadn’t occurred to Harry that Draco might want to be involved in that discussion.

“Thanks, Granger,” Draco said, appreciating the information even if it hadn’t been what he had wanted to hear. He went to close the portrait but Hermione’s hand on the frame stopped him.

“Are you okay, Malfoy?” she asked, looking him with genuine concern. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her and tried to tug the portrait free from her hold but she was apparently determined to get an answer.

“I’m fine,” Draco said testily; he had hardly been in the mood to deal with his own friends, let alone Harry’s. “I was just looking for Harry,” he told her.

“We’ll let him know you were looking for him,” Granger promised, offering Draco a supportive, sympathetic smile. He knew she meant it kindly, but it just grated on his frayed nerves.

“You do that,” Draco told her bluntly, not really caring either way; Draco figured that Harry would come and talk to him when he was ready. He tugged on the portrait again and this time the Gryffindor apparently got the message because she released the door and allowed him to pull it closed.

If his mood had been bad before, it was nothing to now. ‘ _The article was supposed to be about us taking control of our lives, but does that really mean Harry talking control?’_ Draco wondered. Deciding he wasn’t going to wait up, Draco headed to bed. Harry would turn up at some point and then Draco would take the magic energy he needed from his mate. If Draco was still in a bad mood after that, he could always kick Harry out and into their spare room.

-#-

“Evening,” Harry greeted, dropping himself into a chair at the table in the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Hermione were sat.

“Hi, Harry,” Hermione greeted, not looking up from the books that she and Ron were leaning over. “It doesn’t work like that, Ron, that would break Gamp’s second law,” she told him impatiently, tapping at the paragraph that the red-head had just written.

Ron groaned and dropped his head down on the desk. “Harry, make her stop,” he grumbled, causing Hermione to glare at him but Harry just chuckled fondly.

“Like I could,” Harry pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders and a grin on his face; he was enjoying the moment of normality between his best friends. “Besides, she is just trying to help you, Ron.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Hermione said smugly, flashing him a grateful smile. She went to go back at her books, but seemed to remember something and looked back up at him again “Oh, Harry, Malfoy was looking for you,” she told him.

“When?” Harry asked urgently, sitting upright, glancing towards the portrait covering the entrance to his and Draco's rooms. Given how he had left things with Draco, he was glad that his mate was looking for him, and he was eager to get to talk to him.

“Not long," Hermione told him, thinking about it for a moment. "About ten minutes ago,” Hermione estimated, glancing to Ron, who nodded in agreement.

“Is he okay?” Harry questioned, suddenly concerned that the meeting with Snape hadn’t gone so well. Or that his mate was still intent on blaming him for everything. Mostly, though, he wanted to be sure that his mate was okay, given he hadn't seen him since dinner.

Ron shrugged dismissively. “He wasn’t exactly talkative,” he said, not really sure what else to say. Malfoy hadn't seemed much different than usual to him: grumpy and rude.

“He seemed pretty stressed to me,” Hermione added, looking at Harry sympathetically, “but he said he was okay.” Harry got the impression that Hermione hadn't believed Draco, and he didn't either; there was no chance that his mate was completely alright given all that had happened the last few days.

“Pretty stressed?" Ron scoffed sceptically. "He seemed pissed,” he amended as he leaned back in his chair, apparently giving up on his essay for the moment.

Harry groaned, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. ' _Great, so he is still in a bad mood_ ,' he thought to himself. He wasn't surprised by that but he had hoped that a little time and a conversation with Snape might have helped Draco to cool off a little.

“He didn’t seem pissed, Ron,” Hermione argued, narrowing her eyes Ron in annoyance.

“Yeah, that’s why he practically slammed the door in our faces,” Ron argued back with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“Guys!” Harry interrupted, not wanting to let them get going. The two of them fell silent and turned to look at him with expressions of surprise. “Enough already," he said, shaking his head at their bickering. "I'm just going to go talk to him."

“That's probably a good idea,” Hermione said, nodding approvingly, as she reached out to grasp his hand for a moment and gave him a fond smile.

Harry returned the smile and got to his feet. “I’ll probably talk to you guys tomorrow. I know I promised I would explain everything,” he added quickly, when it looked like Ron was about to object, “but I'm really tired and if Draco is in a bad mood too... Can we just leave it till tomorrow?” he pleaded.

“Of course we can,” Hermione said kindly. Ron didn’t look quite as accommodating but he didn’t say anything, and nodded his understanding a few seconds later.

“Thanks, guys,” Harry said, patting Ron on the back on the way past as he headed for his and Draco’s rooms.

-#-

Draco was lying on his side in bed when he heard the portrait open and footsteps cross the living area towards their bedroom; a column of light breached the room as the bedroom door was silently opened.

“Hey, you,” he heard Harry say from near the doorway. Draco said nothing though and continued to stare at the wall. Draco could hear his mate moving towards the bed; the sound of fabric let Draco know that Harry was undressing as he went. “Still in a bad mood?” Harry asked.

“What do you think?” the blond grumbled, stubbornly not turning to acknowledge his mate as much as his instincts were telling him to do so.

“I think," Harry said as he climbed into bed behind Draco, "that it has been a long, stressful and upsetting day.” He reached out, letting his fingers run lightly over the feathers of Draco’s wings, which were folded up tightly against the blond's back.

“Well you aren’t wrong,” Draco said with a sigh, sitting up enough to turn over and lie back down facing Harry.

The corner of Harry's mouth twitch into a hint of a smile, and he reached out to brush Draco's hair back from his face. "And you might have been wrong to blame me for everything?" Harry prompted hopefully.

Draco looked annoyed at that, but Harry could see the guilt there, in his mate's eyes, too. He was sure that his beautiful blond boyfriend was just as confused and upset about the day's events as he was. Part of him wanted to talk it out, but....

“Can I hold you?” Harry asked, as he tucked a few stubborn strands of blond hair back behind Draco’s ear again. He was realising that even if he didn't want to use the bond to affect how Draco was feeling, he could at least use it to understand what his mate was feeling. ' _Like we did all those months ago in the Great Hall_ ,' Harry remembered fondly.

“If you must,” Draco permitted grumpily, shuffling into Harry’s open arms and resting his head on Harry's shoulder. The light buzz of the magical energy transfer helped him to relax; or maybe that was Harry sending calmness through their bond; either way, it was only a few moment before he was starting to feel better.

Once Draco seemed calmer, Harry focused on how hurt he had felt when Draco had blamed him, trying to share those feelings with the blond lying in his arms. He knew it had worked when a startled rush of breath brushed over his chest. Slowly Draco started to let him in, started to share his own fears and worries and guilt. Harry didn't like that the blond's reaction to those emotions had been to push him away, blame him for everything, but he could understand it.

"You are worse than me with this guilt trip lark," Harry said teasingly, as they both eased off on the bond. "Not that I would have been able to tell without you sharing like this," he admitted quietly. He found it really frustrating how closed off Draco could be sometimes.

"Well not all of us display exactly what we are feeling to the whole world," Draco replied snappishly. He really didn't understand Harry's need for everything to be expressed so openly, but he had been trying to respect it. Draco hadn't been hiding himself from his mate, not deliberately, but he was just feeling so raw and exposed right now already, and could barely stand it.

"Draco..." Harry said warningly.

"I am not some Gryffindor," Draco snarled back, sitting up a little and going to push Harry away. Harry, however, had had enough of his submissive mate shoving him away and so held onto him.

"Merlin's balls, Draco!" Harry exclaimed, keeping his firm grip as gentle as possible, not wanting to hurt his mate. "I am not asking you to be; and will you stop using Gryffindor as an insult!" Harry told him as he rolled Draco onto his back and leaned over him. "I am just asking you to be honest with me! We are supposed to be a family."

Draco sighed and lolled his head to the side to avoid looking at Harry, who he could feel breathing heavily above him. He wanted to fight back, to refuse out of pure stubbornness. He just wasn't used to being open with anyone, but Harry was right, about them being a family and Draco did trust his mate. Draco supposed that honesty about what he was feeling wasn't _too_ much for Harry to ask.

"I can try," Draco agreed after a few moments."But can we keep the references to dead old men's genitals out of our bed please," he teased and he was struggling to hold back a smile when he turned to look back up at Harry.

“So not too mad at me really then?” Harry asked, with a cheeky grin on his face, leaning down to press a kiss to Draco's cheek.

"I am still a little bit furious with you, but..." Draco steeled himself; he was really going to give this being open with Harry thing a go, trying to work out how to explain it to his mate. "But I am a little bit furious with myself too," he added quietly.

"That's okay, we can be a little bit furious at the whole situation together," Harry said with a wink before laying back down and pulling Draco into his arms again. It was a great relief to just be able to hold his mate close again. "So how did the visit with Snape go?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

 “He sent me away,” Draco said softly. He had spend the last half an hour lying in bed trying to get his head around the conversation he had had with Snape, but he didn't feel any wiser.

“Wait, what?" Harry exclaimed in surprise, pulling back to meet Draco’s eyes. He had always thought that Draco and Snape had some kind of respectful relationship, where they both cared for each other, so Snape sending Draco away seemed strange. "Why?” he asked, his face twisted into a puzzled expression.

“I am not sure exactly,” the blond admitted reluctantly, as he cuddled up against Harry again. “Apparently Snape hasn’t been telling the Dark Lord _anything_ about us, presumably on Dumbledore's instruction. But then of course that madman reacted badly, hearing about it all in the newspaper,” Draco explained grumpily.

“Wow," Harry said, sounding quite shocked by that, mulling it over. "I assumed that Voldemort at least knew we were together; it isn’t like that has been a secret,” he mused, frowning in confusion. “Given that it was going to come out eventually... I don’t understand... why would they...?”

“Exactly!” Draco said emphatically, glad that his mate had come to the same conclusion. “That's what I said to Professor Snape and well... he reacted badly.”

“Hmm,” Harry hummed in thought as Draco relaxed against him. "Reacted badly to you? Or reacted badly to what you were saying?" he asked curiously.  

"A little of both, probably," Draco told him and Harry felt Draco's shoulders shrug. “So... were you going to tell me you went to see Dumbledore?” he asked in a not particularly subtle attempt to change the subject.

“Of course I was!” Harry insisted firmly without any hesitation. “Why wouldn’t I tell you? Why would you think I would I hide that?” he asked after a few moments of confused contemplation. "What's this about, Draco?"

“Perhaps that you went and talked to him without even discussing it with me. Did it not occur to you that I might want to be there?” Draco asked, tilting his head to be able to look up at Harry. “Can you not see that I might not have been happy to discover that you decided to go without me?”

“Oh...” Harry said, understanding settling in. He had been so set on airing his own irritation with the Headmaster, in needing something to actively be doing, that he had inadvertently disregarded Draco's needs.

“Yes, exactly, ‘Oh’,” Draco said dryly, obviously unimpressed, though he seemed more exasperated than truly annoyed. “So I trust that you at least outlined our grievances?”

“I did,” Harry confirmed, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple. “Dumbledore seemed pretty intent on blaming us, though; he called us irresponsible. He certainly put on pretty good pretence of being upset about everything. He sent his apologies for upsetting your father, by the way, and promised to speak with both him and Snape tomorrow.”

“You don’t sound totally impressed,” Draco observed.

“That’s because I’m not!” Harry said snappishly. “Sorry,” he quickly added sheepishly, feeling bad for having taken his annoyance out of his mate. “I just really don’t trust him, Draco."

“Welcome to the club,” Draco told Harry quietly, reaching up to place a kiss on Harry's lips.

-#-

By breakfast time, both Harry and Draco had already been awake for several hours, thanks to their early night the evening before. The two of them were in their living room working on homework when there was a banging on the Slytherin door to their rooms.

Harry groaned. "What do you bet that is your friends looking for the explanation we didn’t give them yesterday?" he asked with a wry smile.

"Of course it is," Draco agreed dismissively as he got up to open the door. Now that he and Harry had worked things out, and that he knew that Professor Snape was going to make a full recovery, he was feeling a lot more willing to discuss recent events.

"Morning, Draco," Pansy said with so much happiness that it made both Harry and Draco feel a bit wary. She pressed a chaste kiss to Draco's cheek as she stepped around him into the room, Blaise just behind her.

"Pansy, Blaise," Draco greeted, as he shut the door.

"I am surprised that Weasley and Granger didn't beat us here," Blaise commented casually, looking around the room.

"I'll get them," Harry said, pushing back his chair and abandoning the essay he had been failing to write for the last half an hour. "I'll be right back," he told them, disappearing off into the Gryffindor common room.

"No Greg or Vince?" Draco asked, once the three of them were alone.

"I guess they thought breakfast was a priority," Pansy told him with a dismissive shrug as she flopped down in one of the chairs, hooking one knee over the other and smiling up at the blond.

"You know how they are with food," Blaise added, as Draco lead him over to the sofas, so that they could wait for the Gryffindors to join them. Blaise sat himself on the arm of the chair where Pansy was sitting, and Draco all but fell onto the sofa with a tired sigh. Thankfully the pregnant teen completely missed the look of concern that his two friends shared.

"Talking of food..." Draco said, summoning Dobby and requesting a selection of breakfast foods to be brought to their room. The house-elf happily acquiesced and, by the time the other door opened again, the three Slytherins had started eating.

"...us all together?" Ron was grumbling, as he was strongly encouraged into the room by Harry and Hermione, who were just behind him.

"I am not explaining all this twice just for your convenience, Ron," Harry said, with a roll of his eyes as Hermione dragged Ron across the room and pushed him into a free chair. Ron went to protest but Harry quickly silenced him by forcing a plate of bacon sandwiches from the coffee table, into his hands.

"So...," Pansy said, now that they were all there, "should we be worried about Professor Snape?" The man was their head of house after all, and they all knew how unlike him it was to be absent at all.

"He is going to be fine," Harry assured her, taking a seat next to Draco; but the wording wasn't lost on the Slytherins, nor the sharp mind of Hermione.

"Going to be?" she said with a questioning gaze as she sat down on the floor next to the table of food and helped herself to an apple.

"The Dark Lord didn't exactly react well to the article, and was displeased that he hadn't been told that Harry and I were together," Draco explained. "It seems that he took it out on our favourite potions master."

"How the fuck is he still alive?!" Ron exclaimed around a mouthful of sandwich.

"I guess Voldemort must think that Snape still might be useful for something," Harry suggested with a shrug, as the others looked at Ron with various expression of disgust at his poor manners.

"What?" Ron said obliviously, when he realised that he was being stared at.

"Nothing," Draco said, shaking his head and turning back to their other friends. "Whatever the reason, Madam Pomfrey has assured me that Professor Snape is going to make a full recovery. Plus we know for certain that the Dark Lord knows about us now."

"Well, we all knew that was going to happen after your article," Pansy pointed out. "So this was what had both of you with your pants in a twist yesterday? You seem okay today," she said, taking in how they were sitting so close together.

Harry gave Draco a questioning look, not really sure how much of their personal feelings about the day before his boyfriend would want to share; while he wanted his mate to be open and honest with him, he knew that didn't change how much of a private person Draco was. He himself was quite happily keep that part of their relationship to themselves; they had sorted things out now, after all, and honestly it wasn't anyone else's business as far as he was concerned.

"We are fine now, that is all you need to know," Draco said sharply, a look of challenge sent in Harry's direction. The blond actually seemed surprised when Harry gave him a nod and a happy grin in response. It seemed they were on the same page regarding this at least.

"Okay, that's great and all, but I don't get why you couldn't have told us all this yesterday?" Ron grumbled and Blaise nodded in agreement to the question.

"We have no obligation to tell you anything," Draco snapped, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Perhaps try being grateful that we trust the four of you enough to tell you as much as this!"

"Okay, okay!" Ron said, holding his eyes up in surrender. Hermione was looking guilty too, which  made them suspect that she had also wished that they had spoken about everything sooner; though that wasn't much of a surprise given the girl never liked being deprived of information of any sort.

Pansy, however, was looking quite put out as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at Draco "We were just worried about you," she told him a little petulantly.

"We know," Harry assured her with a slightly forced smile and he reached out to squeeze to Draco's hand. It was nice to know their friends cared so much, but they could be a bit overbearing at times.

-#-

Following breakfast in their rooms, Draco had hurried off to Snape's quarters, with Blaise and Pansy in tow, to go speak with his father. This was, of course, partly out Draco’s concern for Lucius, but mostly to find out if Madam Pomfrey had released Snape from the Medical Wing yet. This left Harry, Hermione and Ron to figure out what they were going to do with their Saturday.

"So what shall we do on this special occasion?" Ron asked, throwing his arm over Harry's shoulder as the three of them made their way down the Grand Staircase.

"What special occasion?" Harry questioned, shrugging his best friend off with a confused expression.

"The day you detached yourself from Malfoy's side long enough to decide to spend time with us again," Ron explained with a teasing grin. "You have been spending so much time with those Slytherins, I am surprised you haven't turned into one. I'm surprised I haven't," Ron added, his face contorting with disgust.

"His name is Draco," Harry corrected firmly, sharing an exasperated look with Hermione. "And besides, I thought you were getting on okay with them."

 "Parkinson is okay, I guess," Ron grumbled reluctantly. "And I get that you and... Draco love each other and all that, and he has been pretty decent, I guess. But Zabini..."

"You and Blaise were getting on pretty well the last few weeks," Harry pointed out, wondering what had changed. This, however, just earned him another revolted look from the red-head.

"Ron seems to think that Blaise is seducing Ginny," Hermione explained in a bored tone, as though she and Ron had already been through it too many times, which Harry supposed was likely.

"You should have heard what they were saying, the way that Zabini was looking at her. And Ginny didn't even seem to mind," Ron protested. "Ginny's my little sister, Harry; it is the principle of the thing."

"She was only flirting a little because she knew it would wind you up," Hermione said with a sigh and Ron leaned around Harry to scowled at her. "And to prove she is over Harry," she added in a mutter under her breath, not that either of the other two missed it.

"Ginny understands that I'm with Draco," Harry said huffily. Things were good between him and Ginny now, and he really didn't understand why people felt the need to prod at the issue of her attraction to him.

"Understands, yes," Hermione agreed with a nod of her head, "and she accepts it, but..." Hermione hesitated and seemed to be trying to find the right words for a moment. "It's just that she can't help how she feels, Harry and that isn't going to change overnight."

"Well I would prefer it was Harry than Zabini," Ron said with a childish pout, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course you would," Hermione mumbled under her breath and Harry saw when she rolled her eyes.

"At least you aren't a Slytherin," Ron said to Harry.

"No, I am just bonded to one, having a child with one," Harry reminded him, clearly annoyed. "And I really wish you would stop using Slytherin like an insult. Not to mention, Ron, I am happy with Draco; me and Ginny is something that is never going to happen."

"And she is going to date people," Hermione said, leaning around Harry enough to meet Ron's eyes with a serious expression.

"Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it," Ron said petulantly, all but sulking, as they headed off down a corridor on the second floor.

"She will probably have sex with them too," Harry said teasingly, raising his hand to his mouth as he let out an exaggeratedly fake gasp of shock.

"Oh Merlin, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, looking a little nauseous. "I really didn't need that thought in my head." That, however, just caused Harry to burst out laughing; Hermione also looked rather amused.

"Well just remember that I will remind you of that the next time that you want to meddle in Ginny's love life," Harry told his best friend with a deviously smug grin.

Ron stared at him in disbelieving horror. "You really are turning into a Slytherin," he said a little faintly.

"Ah, Ron, I was already a little bit Slytherin," Harry told him happily. "You were just too Gryffindor to notice," he added with a laugh.

"I was going to suggest we go for a walk, but it is snowing again," Hermione said, ignoring the boys' banter, and gesturing towards the windows they were passing,  "perhaps we should go to..."

"...to the library," Harry and Ron chorused, grinning at each other. Hermione made a kind of 'harrumph' noise that showed her disapproval at being mocked and she stuck her nose in the air as she headed off down the corridor at a fair pace without another word.

"Come on, we might as well at least get some homework done," Harry said, grabbing hold of Ron's arm and practically dragging him along the corridor after Hermione.

"Do you think she will still help me write that Herbology essay?" Ron asked hopefully, picking up his pace so that he didn't fall over his own feet.

"When we just mocked her? Not a chance," Harry told him with amusement. "Guess you will have to turn on the charm," he suggested with a wink. Ron groaned, and Harry was sure he heard his friend mumble something like 'so screwed' under his breath.

-#-

 _'Apparently Madam Pomfrey was right_ ,' Severus thought miserably to himself as he dragged himself to his feet, with great effort, to go and answer the knock at his door. ' _It is apparently going to take more than a day in the Medical Wing to feel like myself again.'_

A pointed look from the potions master silently instructed Lucius move. Lucius hastily pushed himself to his feet, heading to his room and pulling the door closed; they had no idea who was on the other side and it would be best if most people remained ignorant to his presence in the school.

 _'Oh joy_ ,' sarcastically flowed through Severus' mind as he opened the door to see three of his sixth year Slytherins, unsurprisingly lead by Malfoy Junior. "Mr Malfoy, Mr Zabini, Miss Parkinson. To what do I owe the pleasure?" the professor asked wearily.

"We came to check on..." Draco trailed off with a nod into the room behind Professor Snape, hoping the man would get the message and let them in.

Professor Snape stepped to one side and permitted them entry, though with obvious reluctance given the expression on his face, and both Pansy and Blaise were looking at Draco like he had lost his mind when he headed inside without hesitation.

"Mr Zabini, Miss Parkinson, I do not appreciate being made to wait in my doorway on the best of days," Snape told them snappishly. Maintaining their calm expressions only by dint of a great amount of practice, they quickly followed their friend into the room and the potions master closed the door behind them.

"Thank you, Sir," Draco said politely. "Is my father...?"

"Draco," Snape interrupted with a warning tone and a glance at the two other teenagers.

"They are already aware that he is currently residing here," Draco told the potions master dismissively. As far as he was concerned, both Blaise and Pansy had done all they needed to to earn his full trust when they had stood by him through with everything that had happened with Harry.

Snape scowled at Draco's insistence, but Lucius was already stepping out of his room, given the harm was already done. There was no need for him to hide when Blaise and Pansy already knew he was there.

"It is perhaps unwise to trust even your closest of friends with such valuable information, Draco," Lucius chastised as he took a few strides towards his son. "You never know when someone might bid a price for it that they can't afford not to pay. No offence intended, of course," he added with a patronising bow to Pansy and Blaise.

"Of course," Pansy simpered, a sickly sweet smile on her face that didn't suit her at all. "It is good to see you again, Mr Malfoy."

Draco schooled his face blank. His father's disapproval was nothing new to him, but Lucius' words were making him doubt himself. He hated thinking that he had trusted more information to his friends that perhaps was truly wise; Blaise's family was relatively neutral but Pansy's...

 _'How long will it be until someone comes asking for her to spy on me and Harry?'_ Draco wondered. _'That's assuming that someone hasn't already_ ,' he thought with a glance over at his friends. However, there nothing he could do about it for the moment, and so shook the thought off for the moment.

"We, or rather I, just wanted to be sure that there were no further complications," Draco said stiffly, turning back to his father and Snape. "Given you both seem to be perfectly good health, we shall disturb your day no further."

"Draco..." Snape snarled. He was still feeling fairly put out that the teenager had spoken quite so rudely and bluntly to him the day before, no matter how much of a point Draco might have had, but somehow the formality he was holding now irritated him even more.

"Good day to you, Sir," Draco said with a curt bow before turning and heading out the door, without even acknowledging his father. Pansy gave both Snape and Draco's father looks of sympathy before she and Blaise hurried after Draco, following him out into the corridor.

"Draco...!" Pansy called out after the blond, who was already half way down the corridor. However, Draco just continued to storm away from them at a quick pace. Pansy went to jog after him, try and catch up, but Blaise caught hold of her arm.

"Leave him be," Blaise instructed as Pansy turned to glare at him.

"Did you _see_ the look he gave me?" Pansy asked with annoyance, shrugging off Blaise's hold and turning to look towards Draco, but the blond had already disappeared around the corner. "He doesn't trust me," she huffed, turning to glare at Blaise again.

"And why should he?" Blaise pointed out. "You need to show him that letter."

Pansy's fists clenched at her sides, as it was apparently taking great effort to keep hold of her anger. "Just like you have shown him the one you got?" she snarled vindictively. "You're such a hypocrite."

"We shouldn't talk about this here," Blaise snapped under his breath, as he glanced either way along the thankfully empty corridor. He put a hand on Pansy's back and started guiding her, with rather more force than was necessary, to go find somewhere more private to speak.

-#-

"How is it that you always managed to turn Draco into this cold emotionless child with just a few words?" Severus asked irritably, as he watched Lucius return to his seat.

The tall blond seemed completely unfazed by the conversation with his son and Severus was starting to wonder if Lucius had ever had a real conversation with the frankly precocious young man that Draco had now become.

"I assure you I would be far prouder if he could keep his emotions in check at all times, rather than just when I have to remind him," Lucius said, clearly no longer interested in the conversation as he was already opening his book.

Severus clenched his teeth and his fists, willing away the curses on his tongue and the desire to act in a violently immature manner towards his supposed lover.

They were still recovering from their relatively recent argument regarding their places in the war, though Lucius had been appeased somewhat by Severus agreeing to no longer respond to the Dark Lord's summons. And now this was yet another issue that was inevitably going to come between them.

Severus was hardly a man known for expressing his feelings but even he was starting to wonder what kind of relationship they would ever have if Lucius was to continue this retreat into his cold hard shell.

-#-

Harry was somewhat surprised about just how normal things felt in the following week. Despite Draco's assurances that Professor Snape had seemed in good health, Harry had been worried about the man. That was right up until their first potions lesson of the week, when the professor seemed to be extra snarky, as though to prove that he was fine.

"He wasn't _that_ bad," Draco had insisted when Ron had been complaining about the potions master.

"He said that he had seen hippogriffs brew better and then vanished the contents of my cauldron," Ron had argued back.

Hermione had pointed out that it was supposed to have been dark green in colour and thick, not red, thin and fizzy, but that even so it still seemed rather unfair that that he hadn't at least been able to hand in his attempt. This treatment was nothing new to the Gryffindors. however, and so Harry was just taking it as a sign that the potions master was making a speedy recovery.

Perhaps the oddest thing about the whole week was how much time Dean had started spending with them. Not that they minded at all, it was just that they were rather confused by it given how he usually preferred to spend his time with Seamus. The only thing the teen said by way of explanation was that he had already seen more than he needed to and was happily choosing to leave the Irishman to his private business.

A devious grin formed on Pansy's face when she saw how flustered the Gryffindor upon being questioned him about it. "So who exactly did you see Finnigan getting busy with?" Pansy asked curiously, leaning towards him over the table where they were all sat together in the library, eager to hear the answer.

Dean looked a little alarmed at the question, though whether it was the question or who was asking was not at all clear. "I... erm... I have to... you know," he mumbled uncertainly. " I... erm... forgot my book." Pushing his chair back, he all but jumped to his feet before hurrying off out of the library.

Harry laughed quietly as he watched his dorm mate rush off. "Well I wasn't particularly curious before, but now..." he said, glancing at his mate, who was sat next to him.

"Who do you suppose it is?" Draco asked in an excitedly conspiratorial whisper.

"Not a clue," Harry admitted, shaking his head. He hadn't seen Seamus spending a lot of time with anyone in particular, and certainly not acting romantically towards anyone.

"With Dean's reaction it's probably someone really disturbing," Blaise said, leaning back in his chair and watching the others. "What if it is someone like McGonagall or Filch?" he suggested with an amused smirk.

"Oh that it is _so_ wrong!" Ron exclaimed, looking quite unwell. He wasn't the only one; both Harry and Draco looked rather nauseated by the idea; though Pansy seemed to be more than a little sceptical.

"If you really want to know, then you should just ask Neville," Hermione suggested, looking up from her Arithmancy book. She had been trying to ignore their silly gossiping but it was hard to study which all the talking around her. "If Dean knows something, isn't it likely Neville will too?"

"Unless it _is_ Neville," Harry suggested conspiratorially, a grin on his face. He actually thought that Seamus and Neville might make quite a cute couple, assuming that they both swung that way.

"Longbottom? Yeah, right," Pansy scoffed with a rather forced laugh, apparently not thinking Harry's suggestion was any more plausible than Blaise's. "I bet you that it is one of those girly girls in your year. Brown or, what's her name... Patil?"

"That would not surprise me," Hermione admitted, closing her book and gathering up her belongings into a manageable pile. "But while you guys are gossiping, I am going to find a quiet table and actually get some studying done. Let me know when you are done acting like children," she said as picked up her things and headed over to the other side of the library.

"She's just jealous," Pansy told them, glancing over to where Hermione was now setting herself up at another table. "Maybe Weasley here should go help... ease her tension," she suggested.

Ron flushed red and Harry looked stuck between amused and horrified. Draco and Zabini, however, were struggling to hold in their laughter, particularly given Ron's reaction and it wasn't long before Madam Pince was herding them out of the library with a scowl.

-#-

After dinner that evening, Harry and Draco headed straight back to their rooms, braving going through the Gryffindor common room together to get there. No one seemed at all fazed by Draco's presence there, however, when they stepped through into their living room, they both froze in their steps.

"Good evening, boys," Narcissa greeted with a beautiful smile, the woman sitting comfortably on their sofa waiting for them. 

"Mother..." Draco said, staring at her with wide-eyes, clearly completely stunned to see her.

"Oh and here was me thinking that you might be pleased to see me," Narcissa commented with a raised eyebrow as she got to her feet. It had been a difficult few weeks for her, and she was delighted to see her son, the sight of him easing the stress she had been holding in her body.

"What?" Draco asked, blinking with confusion before coming back to himself. "Oh, yes, of course I am pleased to see you!" he insisted, moving forward and embracing her.

Narcissa held him close, more determined than ever to protect Draco from all that had been happening with her.  He didn't' need to know about the men she knew to be Death Eaters, who had contacted Adrien; while they had been able to mostly avoid them so far, it worried her that the Death Eaters might have worked out that she was with Adrien.

"How have you been, Mother?" Draco asked, as he pulled back and looked at her speculatively.

"I am well, Draco" Narcissa told him, her hands on his cheeks to look at him properly. Concerned as she was that she and Adrien might have to run at some point soon, she was determined to enjoy some time with her son before then. "And you, my son, how are you?"

"I'm well," he assured her. " _We_ are well," he corrected once he had gotten his mother to release her grip, glancing over his shoulder at Harry as he placed his hand on his own belly, which was still almost completely flat at three months into his pregnancy.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs Malfoy," Harry greeted with a smile and a small nod, as her eyes switched to him, though he remained close to the portrait they had just come through. As much as Draco was his family now, he still felt like he was intruding.

"Now, now, Harry," Narcissa chastised, the slightly teasing tone so much like one Draco would use, "I honestly thought we were past such formal nonsense. And how are you?" she asked, as she and Draco took seats next to each other on the sofa.

"Oh, I'm good, thanks," Harry told her with a smile, fidgeting with his sleeve somewhat awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with himself. "Erm... would you...? Erm... shall I go do some homework with Ron and Hermione?" he suggested, with a gesture towards the door behind him. "Let you two talk."

Narcissa smiled at him gratefully.  "Thank you, Harry. That would be much appreciated."

"Oh, I don't mind," Harry assured her, as he moved towards Draco. "I will see you in a bit, love," he whispered, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on the corner of his mate's mouth. "It was good to see you, Narcissa," he said as he straightened back up.

"You too, Harry," she said with a soft smile, as he gathered up a couple of books and his bag, and headed out of the door again. "He is good to you?" she asked Draco, already fairly sure of the answer.

"He is," Draco told her happily, a genuine smile on his face. "It really feels like..." he paused to find the words to express his thoughts clearly, "... like he is on my side. Even when we don't exactly agree," he added under his breath as though admitting a terrible secret.

Narcissa chuckled lightly at that, finding her son's affection for Harry quite endearing. "That is called love," she told him. The pride she felt for son, for how grown up he now seemed, warming her heart. "I am glad you have each other."

"The bond helps," Draco told her, but at this Narcissa just appeared to be confused. "We can show the other what we are feeling," he explained, "share our emotions, even affect what each other is feeling to some extent."

"And this is how you are resolving your conflicts?" Narcissa asked, suddenly concerned. She knew full well that working through issues was an important part of any relationship, otherwise they were just going to arise time and again, building up until they boiled over.

Draco hesitated, thinking it over, thinking over the troubles they had had with their relationship so far. It was true that the bond had be mostly how they had come to understand each other's points of view. "Well... mostly," he admitted, already knowing that his mother was going to disapprove for some reason.

"Draco, my precious boy, I don't want you to rely too much on this bond of yours," she told him sternly. "Sometimes things needed to be dealt with head on, no matter how hard it seems, and I think I probably know better than most just how difficult it can be." It wasn't as though Lucius Malfoy was an easy man to question or challenge. She found herself thinking of how grateful she was for Adrien's seemingly endless patience and calm.

Draco frowned at her. "We do deal with things, in our own way," he told her firmly. Just because their way was different from most other couples didn't mean it was bad as far as he was concerned; if anything the bond let them come to a deeper understanding that any amount of talking would.

"And you say you can affect each other's emotions," Narcissa went on stubbornly. "How do you know that Harry isn't forcing your feelings on the matter?" she asked with concern.

"He isn't!" Draco insisted. "He wouldn't; he is far too Gryffindor to do that anyway," he told her; not wanting to admit that, for a split second when she said it, he worried she might be right. "Besides, I can tell when they are his feelings, not mine."

"Well... if you are sure," Narcissa said with scepticism.

"Mother," Draco said warningly. He appreciated her concern, he really did, but he didn't want her stirring up problems in his relationship with Harry. They had recovered from the fallout from the article so well and didn't want something else coming between them now. "You needn't worry so much, Harry is a ridiculously good man."

"I am your mother, I can't help but worry," Narcissa said, leaning over to press a kiss to Draco's temple. "When this little one is born I am sure you will understand," she told him, resting a hand over Draco's belly.

"I know," Draco said wearily, not truly upset about his mother's fussing but just needing her to not make something out of nothing. "How long can you stay?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I should really head back," Narcissa told him sadly. "I just wanted to check up on you after I saw the article in the prophet, and Dumbledore let me floo in here," she explained. "There was a bit of a delay getting the paper in France, otherwise I would have been here a lot sooner."

Draco nodded his understanding, sad that they would get such a short time together. He understood that her staying out of the country, and out of sight, was for her safety but he was finding that in his slightly more hormonal and emotional state he was missing his mother more than he had done since his first year at Hogwarts.

"Do you really have to leave?" Draco asked hopefully, wanting just a little more time with her.

"Draco..." Narcissa said slowly, her tone apologetic.

"Can't you stay tonight?" he asked, turning to her with wide pleading eyes.

Narcissa sighed. ' _Like I could ever resist that look_ ,' she thought to herself; though it was not as though she tried very hard. She wanted to spend every minute with her son that she could in the face of an uncertain future. "Very well," she agreed, "but I need to floo Adrien and let him know; I wouldn't want him to worry."

"Thank you," Draco exclaimed, leaning forward to pull her into a tight hug, breathing in the familiar and comforting smell of her perfume.

"I love you, my beautiful amazing son. I am so proud of you," she whispered, not wanting to let go just yet.

"I love you too, mother," he whispered back.


	27. Eschewed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 27; Not a particularly long one but I hope you enjoy it none the less. ^_^  
> Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

As Harry lay in bed late that night, his boyfriend asleep in his arms, he was glad that Draco had felt comfortable to ask Narcissa to stay, and even more pleased that she had agreed. Draco's happiness about his mother staying in their spare room for the night would have been reason enough on its own; however, Harry was finding more and more that he too enjoyed her company. His relationship with her was proving to be nothing like the jokes he had heard about nightmare mother-in-laws.

His mind wandered back to earlier that day. Draco had been grumbling about the hot flashes that were still waking him up in the night, when Harry had come back to their rooms.

“Just be glad you aren’t having bad morning sickness,” Narcissa told him. “I remember with you that I could barely keep anything down for months. The healers couldn't find anything to ease it either”

Draco pulled a face. He could remember how awful the few occasions of morning sickness he had had had been, and he was endlessly grateful that the anti-nausea potions seemed to be particularly effective for him. Though he was glad he didn't have to take them often; they might work, but still tasted foul.

"He hasn't even been that moody," Harry said, placing a kiss on the top of Draco's head as walked past. "Well, no more than usual," he added with a teasing grin and he had to move quickly to avoid the back of Draco's hand when his boyfriend swung at him.

Narcissa chuckled softly. "Well boys, I think I shall head off to bed; I hope you don't mind me commandeering your second bedroom, Harry," she asked with a kindly smile.

"You're staying?" Harry asked, turning to look at her and spotting Draco's frown. "Of course I don't mind," he said quickly, not wanting either Narcissa or Draco to misunderstand. "Sorry, I was just surprised."

"That's quite okay, dear; this was a spur-of-the-moment thing," Narcissa explained. "I had not intended to stay overnight, however, Draco has successfully persuaded me."

"Not exactly a difficult task, Mother," Draco pointed out. He really had barely done anything more than suggest the idea and give her his best kicked puppy expression. He vaguely wondered if he should be concerned by her deciding to spend time with him out of the blue, but he was too pleased to have her around to question it much.

"Touché, my love," Narcissa conceded, kissing her son on the cheek before getting to her feet. "Goodnight to you both," she said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder as she headed off towards the smaller bedroom, leaving the young couple alone.

As she retired for the night, Narcissa thought how lovely it was to watch the two of them comfortable enough with each other, even with her presence there, to tease one another. It didn't entirely alleviate her concerns about their communication though; after all, the two of them might love each other now, but they spent the previous five years of their lives as rivals, hurling nothing but insults and spells at each other. She was amazed that they were functioning as well as they were, but, with a determined  intention to help it stay that way, she decided she would speak with Harry before she left the next day.

-#-

Narcissa Black had always been a morning person and so it was no surprise to her, when she ventured out into the living area, that she was awake before either of Harry or Draco. She was just considering calling a house elf to fetch her some clothes for the day, when she spotted a package on the coffee table, with a note on top.

**_‘Dearest Mother,_ **

**_I spoke with Adrien and he flooed these over for you,_ **

**_Love Draco'_ **

She smiled at the short note and placed it one side while she opened the box. Inside was simply a change of clothes, neatly folded, and the ointments and such that she always used for her morning routine. She grinned a smile so wide she thought it might have reached her ears. Narcissa wasn't sure what pleased her most; that her son had thought to ask Adrien for these things at all; that Adrien knew her well enough to send exactly the right things; or that the pair of them had worked together so perfectly.

She hadn't felt quite certain that divorcing Lucius had been the right decision, not until that very moment. It made her heart feel lighter, even with all the challenges that she, Adrien and Draco were all likely to face in the near future. Though the thought of her ex-husband did make her decide to visit him and Severus before leaving Hogwarts, to see if the two grown men had managed worked anything out for themselves.

By the time a very sleepy-looking Harry emerged from the other bedroom, Narcissa was already dressed and already looking every bit a respectable woman of society she prided herself in being.  A strangely familiar house elf had brought her a wonderful selection of mini French pastries and sliced fresh fruit for breakfast, as soon as she had taken a seat the living area.  Narcissa was not exactly accustomed to eating whilst not sat at a table, but she was making do. It was completely worth it when she discovered how light and crisp the pastries were; not to mention how succulent and perfectly ripe the fruit was.

"Morning," Harry said though a stifled yawn as he rubbed as his eyes.

"Good morning, Harry," she replied kindly to her almost-son-in-law as he plodded his way across the room, apparently still half-asleep. "Would you care for some breakfast? It really is most excellent."

"Oh, no thanks, I'll grab something in the Great Hall before class," Harry told her, looking at Narcissa speculatively. "It's really early; how do you look so... nice at this time in the morning?" he asked, as he flopped down into one of the armchairs.

"I find it helps not to make a habit of lounging around in my night clothes," Narcissa said, with a scathing look at the pyjamas he was wearing.

Harry blushed. He hadn't really been awake enough to properly register the fact that he was walking around in his pyjamas in front of his boyfriend's rather proper mother until then, and he was now extremely thankful that his mate had insisted replacing his old ones that had been full of holes. It had become normal for him now to put off getting dressed until Draco woke up and nagged him into getting ready to leave their rooms. Apparently the getting-dressed-as-soon-as-you-are-awake thing was something Draco had learned from Narcissa; it was a realisation that Harry found surprisingly endearing.

"I'll, erm... " Harry said rather awkwardly, pointing back towards his and Draco's bedroom as he got to his feet, intending to go and get washed and dressed quickly.

"Sit back down," Narcissa instructed sternly and Harry obeyed before it occurred to him not to. "Draco explained that the pair of you have had a difficult week or so, and no, he did not give me details," she added at Harry's slightly horrified expression. "What has me concerned is this use of the bond he mentioned."

"Which bit of it?" Harry asked with confusion; the bond had done nothing but great things for their relationship as far as he was concerned and Narcissa had never expressed any objections to the pair of them  before now. Though he supposed that she hadn't had a great deal of opportunity to, nor much say in the matter.

"As I understand it, you are able to show each other what you are feeling?" Narcissa said and it was perhaps the most hesitant he had ever heard Draco's mother; normally she was full of confidence. Harry figured it was likely because she was not particularly keen on, nor used to, prying into Draco's love life.

"We can," Harry confirmed slowly, not quite sure where this was going. "We don't need it often, but sometimes... when we have very different thoughts on something..." he tried to explain, but he wasn't sure he was doing a very good job of it; he would never have Draco or Narcissa's eloquence.

"I am glad to hear you are not entirely relying on this," Narcissa told him with a small nod of approval. "Though I hope that the two of you are actually discussing the causes of these... disagreements," she added, fixing him a very stern look.

Harry opened his mouth to offer assurances but cut himself off before he spoke, biting his lip as he tried to think that over. ' _Do we talk about that?'_ he wondered to himself, as he tried to remember. "We are learning to," he told her after a few moments more of consideration. "We are!" he insisted as she gave him a disbelieving look. "I am sure you are aware that Draco doesn't exactly like to talk about what is going on in his head," Harry said with a wry smile towards his closed bedroom door.

"He gets that from his Father," Narcissa said with a sigh, thinking about all the troubles that she and Lucius had had over their years together. "Well, mostly," she amended with a little smile at Harry, knowing that she too was not particularly comfortable overt expression of emotion.

Harry smiled back. "It's okay, I know and love Draco just as he is and I have little interest in changing that," he promised. "However, I will work on getting  him to realise that, with me at least, he can open up. Hopefully he will come to trust that I am not going to go around telling everyone all the things he thinks make him vulnerable."

"Then I am sure I have nothing to worry about," Narcissa told him, with a genuine smile and looking far more content. "Now," she went on, keen to change the subject away from such personal matters, "why don't you see to making yourself more suitably attired for being in your boyfriend's mother’s presence?”

"Yes, ma’am!" Harry agreed quickly as he all but jumped up from his seat and hurried back into their bedroom, leaving a very amused Narcissa behind in the living room to pour herself another cup of tea.

-#-

It was another half an hour before Draco and Harry came out of their bedroom, both suitably dressed for the school day. Narcissa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at her son, who was trying to reach up and fix Harry's hair. Harry, on the other hand, clearly had other ideas and was trying to bat him off.

"It isn't ever going to lie flat, love," Harry told Draco as he managed to get a gentle hold on Draco's wrists and he pulled his boyfriend towards him to steal a chaste kiss. "You might as well get used to it, because it is hereditary; baby might get this crazy excuse for hair too," Harry teased, placing a hand on Draco's belly.

"If my child gets your hair, I might just cry," Draco told him petulantly, causing Harry to laugh happily; he knew better than to actually take his mate's words personally. Draco scowled even further before turning from his mate with a huff.

"Now now, Draco," Narcissa chastised lightly. "I am quite sure that any child of yours and Harry's will be beautiful." The two of them turned to look at the woman, who was sat in one of the chairs, one knee hooked gracefully over the other.

"Well, of course," Draco declared smugly, as though ever thinking otherwise would be nothing shy of madness. "With me as their... mother..." He paused and scrunched up his nose at that. "That is weird," he stated, not really sure how he felt about the maternal term being applied to him.

"I am going to go get some breakfast," Harry said, pressing a kiss to Draco's cheek. "I don't mind if you want to stay here instead," he told his mate as the blond turned to look him. "And feel free to stay as long as you like," he added with a smile in Narcissa's direction.

"That is very kind of you, Harry," Narcissa said as she got to her feet. "However, I really should get back to Paris soon." She was glad to have had time with her son, but she was also concerned about Adrien.

"I will stay for a bit," Draco decided, wanting to make the most of the time with his mother before she left. "I'll see you in class," he said, going up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Harry's lips.

"Okay, but have Dobby bring you some breakfast," Harry instructed, holding onto his mate's arms. "And make sure you drink plenty, otherwise you know you'll get a headache; and leave in plenty of time so you don't have to run to class; and..."

"HARRY!" Draco interrupted, shaking his head in fond exasperation. "I know all this. Now go get some food and spend five minutes with your friends, I can take care of myself."

"Sorry! I will see you later," Harry said before kissing Draco's temple. He knew he was being overly protective, but he couldn't help it; thankfully Draco didn't seem to mind too much. "It was lovely to see you again, Narcissa," he added, giving her another smile as he headed towards the door.

"You too, Harry," she said with a genuine smile as he stepped out of their rooms and headed for the Great Hall.

-#-

"Hermione, I think I might be hallucinating," Ron said in a very carrying whisper, causing her to look up at him with a confused but concerned expression. "I can see someone who looks a lot like Harry Potter sitting next to me, but there isn't a Malfoy in sight."

"Hilarious, Ron," Harry said in a dry tone, but he was smiling as he helped himself to a large serving of porridge which he covered in honey.

"Is Draco okay?" Hermione asked, apparently deciding to ignore Ron's remark now she realised he was just being a little facetious. Harry was kind of touched by the genuine worry in her voice.

"He is fine," Harry assured her, pouring himself a goblet of juice. "So, Neville," he said, turning to his friend, "do you have any idea what's going on with Dean?" He wanted to change the subject quickly; the breakfast table was definitely not a place he wanted to be while talk about Narcissa Black visiting Hogwarts.

"Oh yeah," Ron eagerly chimed in, latching onto the topic just like Harry had hoped, "Dean made it sound like he had seen Seamus with someone." Neville nearly spat his drink out at this point but managed to stop himself quick enough to just end up with a little dribbling down his chin, which he wiped off with his robe sleeve.

"I erm... I wouldn't know anything about that," Neville told them. "Just remembered, I really need to ask Professor Sprout about something I read yesterday," Neville said as he scrambled rather awkwardly to his feet due to his haste. "I'll, yeah, I'll see you guys in class."

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched as their classmate hurried for the door. It was completely spectacular timing that had Seamus and Dean walk through the doorway just as Neville reached it. The three boys paused there, and were obvious talking about something in hushed whispers for a few moments, before Dean dragged the other two out into the hallway.

"You don't think...?" Harry asked Ron, his eyes wide with surprise. He had been joking the other day when he had speculated about who Dean might have caught Seamus with, but now he was wondering if he had been on point.

"That Seamus and ....?" Ron said, looking baffled as he glanced towards the doorway that their friends had just gone through.

"I think it is kind of sweet," Hermione told them with a soft, dreamy smile on her face. Apparently she was really taken with the idea Seamus and Neville together.

"So you really think that Neville and Seamus are... you know...?" Harry asked.

"Honestly, Harry," Hermione said with a dramatic and put-upon sigh, "given that you currently live with your pregnant boyfriend, you would think that you could at least say the word ‘sex’."

"Please tell me that Dean is straight," Ron said with a groan, stabbing at his breakfast, "or else it seems that I will be the only Gryffindor guy in our year who is. Not that I have a problem with any of you being gay," he added quickly at Harry's slightly hurt expression, "but it would be kind of weird knowing I have spent all these years sleeping in a room full of gay guys."

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed in obvious outrage.

"What? I said I didn't have a problem with it," Ron insisted. Harry shook his head and laughed quietly at his friend's ignorance. Hermione, however, was apparently not feeling so lenient.

"That, Ron, is not the point..." Hermione said huffily. But at that point Harry tuned them out; he didn't really care what point Hermione was trying to make. In his book, if Ron could accept that he was happy with Draco, and that Neville might be happy with Seamus, then that was good enough for Harry. Beyond that Ron could feel weird about whatever he liked.

"So what cheesy thing are you and Draco doing for Valentine's Day tomorrow?" Ginny asked as she dropped into the seat next to Harry, on the opposite side of the table to Ron, who was still debating passionately with Hermione.

Harry looked up in alarm at Ginny's words. "Valentine's Day?" he asked, praying that he had misheard her or something. Things had been so crazy as of late that he wasn't even completely sure what the date was.

"Yeah, it's tomorrow, Harry," Ginny told him with an exasperated sigh. "You know, the day when couples are supposed to do all sorts of sappy couple-things..." she added when Harry continued to just stare at her blankly, a spoonful of porridge halfway to his mouth. "You haven't planned anything, have you?" she realised.

"Not a thing," Harry admitted bluntly, letting his spoon drop back into his bowl. "I didn't even know it was tomorrow. What the hell do I do?" he asked her urgently, crossing his arms and leaning on the table. "Will Draco even want to do couple-things?"

Ginny shrugged at that. "You're the one who is bonded with him, not me," she pointed out. "And thank goodness for that, because as pretty as he might be, I so couldn't be with someone that high maintenance and..."

"Ginny..." Harry interrupted pleadingly. "I really could do with your help here. I should do something, right?"

"I don't know, probably," she told him vaguely. She did feel a little bad for not being able to help him when he looked so worried, but then, at least she had brought it up at all, otherwise Harry would have been in a potentially much more awkward situation the next day. "Aren't you supposed to know these kind of things about your significant other?"

"Probably," Harry admitted with a small whimper, resting his forehead on the table.

"Harry?" Hermione asked with concern, having noticed the rather abrupt change in her friend's mood, not to mention the tufts of his hair that were getting covered in porridge and honey.

"I am a terrible boyfriend," Harry grumbled rather pathetically. He felt he really should have been able to think of something that Draco would like, or at least know if his mate would want that kind of fuss made over him; though he was thinking that Draco would want something.

"Well admittedly," Ron said as he added a few more pieces of bacon to his plate, "I don't think the porridge-in-your-hair look is really Malfoy's thing but..."

"Shit," Harry exclaimed, hastily sitting up and reaching up to feel his hair.

"Don't do that," Ginny chastised as, in a show of great dexterity, she managed to grab his wrists before he could make the mess worse. "Honestly," she said with a sigh, as Hermione cast a cleaning charm. It effectively removed the porridge, however, it also made Harry's hair persistently scruffy hair stick up even more than usual. Several of the people around him, including Ron, tried to hide their laughter.

“It’s sticking up again, isn’t it?” Harry asked tiredly, already knowing the answer. He was just worried about what his mate would say when he arrived in class with his hair an even worse mess that it had been that morning, particularly given Draco’s earlier efforts to flatten it.

"Better that than porridge in your hair," Ron pointed out with an amused grin.

"True," Harry conceded with a wry smile as he imagined what Draco would say if he did catch him in such a state. "Though it's not going to matter what my hair looks like if I can't figure out what to do about tomorrow," he added grumpily, pushing his breakfast away.

"Don't worry, I am sure you will work something out," Ginny assured him confidently. "And, besides, if Malfoy really loves you then he won't care if you fuck up," she added with a grin.

Sometimes the Weasleys weren't particularly helpful, Harry decided.

-#-

"Are you completely incapable of feeling empathy for anyone?!" Severus yelled at his lover as he paced across the room towards the other man.

"I am aware of the concept, but I fail to see what purpose it would serve," Lucius droned in a calm voice, barely looking up from his book.

"It might mean that your only son doesn't give up on being a Malfoy," Severus told him through clenched teeth. There were times like this when even he found Lucius' arrogance too much to deal with. "With the way things have been between the two of you lately, I am fairly sure that Draco is on the verge of doing so; you have made him believe that he is never going to be good enough for you."

"Draco is a true Malfoy." Lucius' voice was calm but harsh as his eyes flicked up to his lover. Severus was standing stock still, glaring daggers at him. "My son knows his responsibilities. As long as Draco does not forget those, he will have proved himself worthy of the name."

It bothered Lucius greatly that Severus would presume to tell him how to interact with his son and he disagreed with the suggestions emphatically. The Potter boy was only going to teach Draco his ridiculous Gryffindor sensibilities and Lucius knew he would need to be tough on Draco or else risk him turning weak. And now that Draco's bond with Potter was forcing the Malfoy family to switch sides, it was inevitable that they would be distrusted by almost everyone, including whichever side emerged victorious in the end. They could not afford to appear weak, not now of all times.

Severus was determined though; he was convinced that Lucius was pushing Draco away and almost desperate in his need to help the man see it, despite Lucius' refusal to hear it. Severus was nothing if not stubborn and his affection for Lucius stretched just far enough to try and defend the man from himself.

In the week since Draco left the room in the dungeons so abruptly, they had argued the point many times. Severus was coming to accept that the direct approach was ineffective and so he believed he would have to enlist the assistance of others; however, the idea of working with Potter had made him procrastinate. Which was why they were arguing again.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," a female voice said, and the two men turned in sync to stare at Narcissa's head floating in the fireplace. "Is this a bad time?" she asked, looking between the two of them.

"Not at all, Narcissa," Lucius said politely before Severus had a chance to say anything to the contrary. "Please do come through; we were just discussing Draco," he said politely, as though he and Severus had just been engaging in a civil conversation.

"Lucius!" Severus snapped in frustration, rubbing at his eyes and taking a deep breath as Narcissa's head disappeared from the fire. Drawing his wand, he adjusted the wards to permit his lover's ex-wife to floo into the room. "Do you even remember that technically these are still _my_ quarters and that you are a prisoner here?" he asked irritably.

"I believed you a capable enough wizard to be able to adjust the wards in time," Lucius commented casually, getting to his feet and giving Severus a patronising little bow.

"Really not the point," the potions master mumbled, his jaw clenched. He pointed ignored Lucius' smug expression and simply smiled at Narcissa instead, as she stepped into the room and cleaned the smatterings of ash from her clothes with an elegant flourish of her wand.

Narcissa sat herself in the closest chair, both of her hands placed on her knee, ever  the picture of elegance. "So the two of you were discussing Draco?" she asked, smiling at them expectantly.

"Yes, we were; but should you really be here, Narcissa?" Severus asked with concern, as both he and Lucius sat down as well. "Aren't you supposed to be in hiding?" He didn't understand what could be so important that she would risk coming to see them.

"I was visiting with Draco and Harry. I borrowed their spare room for the night," Narcissa told them dismissively, not liking the change of subject. "I am only here because I thought I would give the two of you my best before I head back to Paris. But regarding Draco," she persisted, "is something the matter? Something the boys neglected to tell me?"

"I am sure you know better than us, but I believe they are both in good health," Severus assured the clearly worried mother. "I was simply trying to stop your fool of an ex-husband from destroying his last chance of a relationship with his son."

Narcissa sighed softly, genuine sadness in her eyes as she looked to Lucius. She appreciated Severus' efforts but was sure that the man was fighting a lost cause; she too lamented the days when Lucius would actually speak to Draco, would let Draco see that his father loved him.

"I will not make the boy any weaker than he already is!" Lucius snapped, all but jumping up from his chair in annoyance, clearly trying to make himself imposing. Narcissa, however, was far too used to such tactics and just continued to look at him sadly.

"You used to have conversations him, before he came to Hogwarts," Narcissa pointed out with regretful longing. "The two of you used to be close once, he used to look up to you."

"He was just a child," Lucius snarled impatiently. He felt as though he was under attack from two of the three people he had ever loved, all in the name of the third. Lucius loved his son but he felt no need to parade it around; he was certain that Draco was a smart enough boy to understand that. "But not now; he is sixteen years old and I will not baby our son, as you seem determined to do. He needs to learn to behave like a real man."

"He is a better man already at sixteen, than you have ever been in your life," Narcissa said; her was voice tense, as she restrained herself, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

Lucius lips curled into a sneer as he took a big stride towards his ex-wife; he would not let her speak to him that way. However, Severus quickly stepped between the two of them, his hand pressed against Lucius' chest, alarm flashing in his eyes.

"Lucius, please, don't," Severus said, his tone stern. He grabbed hold of Lucius' wrists when the man went to push him aside. "Stop this!" he demanded, all but pressing himself against Lucius' chest as he looked up at the taller man.

It was almost intimate and too much for Lucius. "Get off me!" he yelled, suddenly yanking his hands free. He would not have Severus displaying their... their... fraternisation in front of Draco's mother. "Who do you think you are, to touch me like that?!"

Severus stumbled back a couple of paces and he felt Narcissa's hands on his back supporting him. "Oh, I don't know," Severus sneered, trying to hide the pain he felt. "I thought for a minute there I might have been the man you loved. A foolish thought!"

"A foolish thought indeed. I will never love _any_ man, let alone _you_!" Lucius yelled back, striding forward and deliberately towering over the two of them.

"Lucius!" Narcissa yelled in shock. She knew that her ex-husband could be a hurtful man, but she had not expected for him to spit such spiteful words at Severus.  

Severus, however, could do nothing but stare at Lucius in disbelief, his worst nightmare happening before his eyes. Foolish was definitely the word. He should have been stronger, he should never have agreed to have Lucius there in his own personal space. His rooms were filled with memories now, of smiles and looks and kisses and touches; it was polluted with moments that would never happen again and would never leave him alone. He was realising now that would have to spend the rest of his years being haunted by the few months when he dared to dream, and he couldn't stand it.

"I'm done," Severus said; his voice was so weak that it didn't even sound like him to his own words. It was all he could do not to scream, not to cry, but he would not let himself be humiliated so. His breath was catching in his throat and he had to get out; now, and permanently.

Narcissa and Lucius stood like statues as they watched the potions master step out from between them and walk out the door, without another word. The door to the rooms slammed behind him, making the sound resonate through the otherwise silent rooms.

"You are the real fool here, Lucius," Narcissa said in a quiet voice, but her tone had razor sharp edges that cut into her ex-husband. "He loved you, and you just condemned yourself to live and die alone. Stay away from my son until you learn to grow up."

And with that she stepped into the floo and left, returning to the wonderful man who she now gave her heart to willingly. The man who could return her affections and make her happy.

Lucius was left alone; truly alone and wondering what had just happened. He felt like his whole world had just walked out on him. He felt numb and confused. _'Wasn't this what I wanted?'_  he asked himself; he was stronger now, his weaknesses had just walked out on him and so he couldn't understand why he felt so nauseous about it.

-#-

"I'll catch up with you," Draco told his mate quickly as they were let out of the class just before lunch, going up on tiptoes to place a quick kiss on the corner of a rather stunned Harry's lips.

"Oh... yeah, sure..." Harry mumbled as he watched Draco head off down the corridor, in the direction Crabbe and Goyle had just gone.

"We'll go with him," Pansy assured Harry quickly, grabbing Blaise by the arm and dragging him off after Draco before Harry had a chance to say anything on the matter.

"Vince!" Draco called out, from where he was just ahead of them down the corridor. "Greg?!" However, neither of the two Slytherin boys stopped, and Draco slowed his pace. Pansy and Blaise quickly caught up with their purple-winged friend, who was now standing in the middle of the hallway, frowning in confusion. "What the hell is that all about?" Draco asked, as Pansy and Blaise came to stand on either side of him.

"What do you mean?" Blaise asked, knowing full well what Draco meant.

Draco turned to glare at Blaise; the other Slytherin was no fool and that he was pretending to be ignorant made Draco suspicious of him. "They are avoiding me. I wasn't sure until now, but..." Draco turned back to the corner he had watched Crabbe and Goyle hurry around.

"I am sure they just had to get somewhere. I mean, it is lunch time and you know how Vince and Greg are with food," Pansy suggested, giving Blaise a concerned look that Draco completely missed.

"Pansy is probably right," Blaise chimed in. Neither of them really wanted Draco asking too many questions about what had really chased Vince and Greg away. "I bet they have a secret stash of food somewhere."

"Hmm... maybe," Draco hummed, not believing a word of it. He was starting to wonder if he could trust any of his friends and he hated his father for putting that doubt in his head. He wanted to believe in them but he couldn't risk his unborn child's life on it. "Come on," he said, as he turned and headed in the direction of the Great Hall.

Pansy turned to follow, but was stopped by Blaise's hand on her arm, holding her back until Draco was a little way down the corridor.

"We have to tell him," Blaise whispered into her ear.

"No..." Pansy whispered back, through gritted teeth. "I can't, he will never trust me again."

"It might already be too late for that," Blaise said under his breath as he realised his grip on Pansy, who glared at him for a moment before hurrying off after their friend. "I really hope I’m wrong, though," he said quietly to himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he followed at a sedate pace; he could only hope that their friendships could survive the troubles ahead.

-#-

Harry had spent all morning fretting about what he was going to do for Valentine's Day and all in all he was feeling like a pretty poor excuse for a boyfriend. He had come to the conclusion that Draco would want him to do something but he honestly had no idea just how romantic Draco would want him to be, which in turn was making him worry about what Draco might have planned. He was praying that his boyfriend knew him well enough not to put on some public display.

Harry was determined make the day something special for his mate. However, he couldn't help but be extra nervous, knowing how volatile Draco's moods could be at the best of times, even when he wasn't three months pregnant.

Harry was really wishing Ginny had mentioned it a day sooner so that he could have spoken with Narcissa about it before she left. He had briefly considered writing her a letter or asking Dumbledore if he could floo call her, but he didn't want to compromise the safety and security of her and Adrien's home over what should be a simple romantic gesture.

It was best to keep it simple, he decided. ' _Simple…'_ he thought to himself, biting his lip as he mulled it over _, 'like…? Hmm...'_  And then it came to him, and he broke into a smile, feeling a lot better now he had settled on an idea in his mind. He would need a little help though, he realised, and so he promised to catch his friends up and ducked into a bathroom, glad to see it was empty.

"Dobby," he called out quietly, hoping no one would come in and see him talking to a house-elf in a bathroom. That might raise a few awkward questions.

There was a little pop and the large-eyed elf appeared. "Mr Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said with a low bow. "How can Dobby be helpings you?" the little elf asked, looking up at him eagerly.

Harry smiled. "I need you to do me a favour."


	28. Endearments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 28; Well that took a while, but finally an update. Between my brains stubbornness over this chapter, and my perhaps a little bit obsessive writing of Fragmented Soul, it has been hard work getting this chapter out. I have every hope that the next one will not take anywhere near as long. :) Thank you for those that have stuck with me, despite the long wait.  
> Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.   
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

The sun was up just enough to cast a faint glow over the Gryffindor fifth-year girls’ dormitory when Ginny Weasley opened her eyes, blinking the remnants of sleep away. For a moment, she was quite unimpressed at having woken up at such an early hour, but then she remembered what day it was; she remembered what she had been planning.

She had been disappointed when she had gone to bed, given that she had yet to receive what she needed from her brothers but now, as she pushed herself up on her elbows, she realised what had woken her; an owl had dropped a parcel on the end of her bed. It was fairly small and innocuous looking, with its completely plain brown paper wrappings, but at the sight of it she broke into a grin.

She really hoped it was the delivery she had been expecting from Fred and George; she couldn’t think of anyone else who would send a parcel directly to her, so she allowed herself to hope that it contained what she had asked them for. In truth she had been starting to doubt her brothers. After all, they had been working on this for a few weeks and she had expected them to have gotten it to her before now. 

Ginny had gone to bed the evening before despondent, believing that they hadn’t been able to complete it and get it to her on time; she had even planned out half of the letter she was going to send them in complaint, for at least not telling her that they had been unsuccessful. However, it seemed she should never have doubted them.

Ever since the twins had managed to scrape together a handful of N.E.W.T.s each, the previous year, signalling the end of both their formal education and their often contentious residence at Hogwarts, Ginny had felt somewhat obliged to represent the Weasleys. She couldn't let Ron go on being the Weasley that everyone knew; he was hardly a good ambassador for the Weasley name in her opinion. So, in collaboration with her twin brothers, she had come up with a plan; it was daring, a bit haphazard and potentially very amusing, all in true Weasley fashion.

While the prank had been all her idea, and the execution depended on her alone, she would openly admit that the actual creation was all down to the twins. They really did have quite a talent for developing novel prank items. She thought that it was probably why their shop in Diagon Alley, which already boasted an enormous range of such items, was proving to be such a spectacular success. Rarely a day went by now when she didn't see someone with a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes product of some kind; she was so very proud of them both.

Looking around the dorm, it seemed as though her housemates were still sound asleep; she could clearly hear Demelza's snores from her bed across the room. Once she felt sure that she wouldn’t be disturbed, she quietly inched herself forward until she was sitting up in bed, the covers wrapped around her waist, and pulled the small package towards her.

Tied to the top of the little parcel, with the string that wrapped around the parcel, there was a note; Ginny read her name on it in the familiar handwriting and detached it. She opened it and smiled at the scribbled message.

**_We leave the Weasley reputation in your hands. Hope their senses of humour are as excellent as this plan of yours. Of course, if this all goes badly, we will deny all association with your devious little scheme. Good luck, Sis._ **

Ginny had barely finished reading the message when the note disintegrated in her hands, taking with it the only proof of the twins' part in the plan. _'Well, fair enough,'_ she thought; she had always known that she was going to be on her own in this one and she was just praying that this didn't go wrong.

She turned her attention back to the box itself. It was only about four inches in each dimension and yet, when she peeled back the thick brown paper and opened it, she could see that the item inside was well protected and had been securely packaged. Unwrapping it with great care, she lifted out the single small translucent vial; holding it up to a ray of light that was beaming through the window and onto the wall near her bed, she took a moment to watch the thin liquid slosh about.

She slipped out of bed quickly and quietly, lest any of the others woke up, and headed for the trunk at the foot of her bed. Pulling it open, she carefully stashed the vial in with the robes she was intending to wear that day, so that she wouldn't forget to take it with her, and flattened the now empty box, hiding that too. 

She was surprised how excited she felt about this whole thing, now that it was actually going to happen. She could hardly believe her classmates were all still asleep; she felt her heart was beating so loudly that they must be able to hear it.

There was, admittedly, a lot that could go wrong; she had to get the potion into the right goblets to be drunk and without being spotted; and even if she managed that then there was a chance that the potion might not work as expected, or at all. And she still had no idea what the reactions would be to it. Well, every plan could go wrong;  but she was determined, and hopeful, that this one wouldn’t.

This would be one Valentine’s Day that none of them would ever forget.

-#-

The room was spinning and, despite his having yelled at it to stop more than once, it remained stubbornly defiant. There was a part of Lucius that knew that he had done this to himself, but at that moment he was quite happy to apportion responsibility in equal parts between Severus and the now empty, but really very beautiful, whisky decanter.

Severus had left, stormed out of the place, and when he was sober Lucius couldn’t have said whether he was more relieved or devastated; the question eluded him all together by this point, which was, of course, the exact reason he had consumed quite as much alcohol as he had.

He was haunted by that moment of pure loneliness after Narcissa had called him a fool, forbad him from seeing Draco and left. He was not sure how or if she truly intended to prevent him from seeing his son, but the idea was certainly distasteful to him; for, as much as he complained about and criticised the boy, Draco was still of great importance to him.

But it had been spending the evening alone in Severus’ quarters that he had found truly strange and unsettling. In some ways it had been worse than when the potions master had been in the Medical Wing and unable to return; this time Severus' absence was entirely voluntary and Lucius was feeling an unexpected and infuriating sensation of loss.

Even trying to start to understand the emotions swirling around in his head was stressful and made him want to drink more, despite the highly inebriated state he was already in. He mindlessly lifted the glass to his lips before discovering that he had already drained it some unknown time ago.

No more, he could handle no more; he just wanted everything to stop for a while and he half wished he had a wand and his magic so that he could just stun himself and forget; his luck wouldn’t stretch even to that however. Discarding the glass onto the nearby table, he all but stumbled the few steps to the sofa and lay himself down on the cushions; the walk to either of the bedrooms looked far too unmanageable and he really hoped he would just pass out soon, so he could sink into oblivion.

-#-

Draco was lying on his side when he woke up, which wasn't much of a surprise: it was the only way he could comfortably sleep, given that the pregnancy made it impossible for him to retract his wings. He blinked his eyes open sleepily, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his wings out behind him to ease the tension in his back. It was at about that point that he realised that his boyfriend was sitting up in bed watching him sleep.

"That's creepy," he stated, the words coming out rather croakily from his parched throat, as he glared up at Harry a little feebly. "Do I even want to know how long you have been sitting there, watching me?"

Harry, however, just grinned down at his boyfriend happily, obviously completely unrepentant. "Not very long," he promised, reaching down and affectionately brushing Draco's long blond hair back from his face. "I was planning to wake you, but you just looked so peaceful and I couldn't bring myself to do it," he admitted, with a shrug.

Draco snorted softly in amusement, shifting closer to his boyfriend and tangling his legs with Harry's under the covers. "You're a bigger girl than Pansy sometimes," Draco told him with a teasing smirk.

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically, leaning down to kiss the smug expression from Draco's face. "I know you can be a bit snarky when you wake up," Harry told him with a sweet smile, giving Draco another quick peck on the lips before sitting back up, "but you should probably be nice, or I might send breakfast back."

"Ooh, breakfast!" Draco said keenly, shuffling to sit up and spotting the large tray of French pastries, jams and fresh fruit on the bedside table. His appetite seemed to have settled into a steady state of constantly hungry the last few days and his stomach rumbled softly at the sight and smell of the delicious breakfast. "Harry Potter, trust me when I say that you do not want to try to keep me from that food right now," he warned with a stern glare.

 "I wouldn't dare," Harry said and though his tone was joking, he was quite serious; he would never wish to deprive Draco of food, but even more so while the blond was pregnant. Harry waited patiently for Draco to be done shuffling himself to lean against the headboard of their bed without hurting his wings, before placing a tray off food on the blond's lap. "Happy Valentine's Day, Love," Harry said with a smile, stealing another kiss.

Draco was a little stunned by Harry's last words and so by the time he had relaxed into the kiss, his mate was already pulling away with a dopy grin on his face. Draco's heart lurched in his chest, as he took in the sight of his dominant mate, with his hair even more ruffled than usual and an adoring expression on his face.

Draco coughed a little awkwardly and calmed himself. "You're such a sap, are you sure you're not a girl?" Draco teased playfully, picking up a strawberry from the bowl of fruit and eating half of it. Harry gave him a playful shove on the shoulder, which made Draco laugh softly as he ate the rest of it.  "Seriously though, Happy Valentine's Day," the blond added, turning to give Harry a genuine smile. "And you can be as sappy as you like if it means breakfast in bed."

Harry belly laughed at that and shuffled closer, so that he and Draco were sitting shoulder to shoulder."I got something for you," Harry said, sounding hesitant, as he stole a couple of pieces of apple, watching his mate cautiously as he ate.

"Something more than breakfast?" Draco asked around a mouthful of strawberries, as he slapped at Harry's questing hand, which was trying to steal the only bichon au citron, something that simply wasn't happening.

"Actually... it is a couple of somethings," Harry admitted, stealing a pain au chocolat instead and taking a bite of it. "Though one of them is kind of for the baby really."

"You're not seriously trying to apologise for getting me more than one present, are you?" Draco asked with confusion as he took a bite from his pastry, moaning softly at the taste of it; the Hogwarts house elves had really outdone themselves.

Harry was happy to let Draco just enjoy his breakfast for a moment, because he wasn't quite sure how to explain his doubts and needed a moment to find the words. "I just wasn't sure you would want to do the whole Valentine's Day thing, though you might find it all a bit..."

"Well, admittedly it is disgustingly sickly," Draco conceded when Harry trailed off. "But, presents, Harry!" he added happily. "I always like presents." He had never seen Valentine's Day as anything more than a great excuse to eat obscene quantities of chocolate, but now that he had someone to spoil him he thought he might enjoy it.

"Noted," Harry told him with a chuckle as he reached over and opened the drawer of his bedside table and retrieved a small box. "This was in the Potter vault," he explained as he opened it. Inside, on a bed of velvet, was a ring; a Potter family ring to be more precise.

Draco reached out and took the ring from the box, holding it carefully as he brought it up to his face to examine it closely. It was beautiful; the wide band was made of white-gold, if he wasn't mistaken, with a band of onyx all the way around it, apart from on the top, where the Potter family crest had been engraved, such that it could be used to mark a wax seal.

"I just wanted to do something so that no one would be able to question that you are my family," Harry said, almost falling over his words as he tried to explain. "And I know our bond means forever, and I am glad about that, I really am. I mean well, obviously, I love you, and yes, maybe one day we'll get married," he paused for a moment when he realised what he had said, before stumbling on. "Or not, or whatever," he said with a wave of his hand and by now was unable to meet Draco's eye. "But this is all pretty new to me, to us, and I just want you to know, the whole world to know, that you are my family and..."

"Harry!" Draco interrupted, almost laughing, grasping one of Harry's hands in his own. "I get it," he told him earnestly, holding up the ring between them. "Not a proposal, just a token of your affection, proof that this between us is real."

"Yes, exactly," Harry said with a relieved sigh, glad they were on the same page. "Is... is that okay?" he asked nervously. "Sorry, I probably sound like an idiot, rambling and everything, but I just wanted to..."

"Merlin's beard, Harry," Draco said with exasperation, as he slid the ring onto his middle finger, before taking hold of Harry's chin to make his mate look at him. "Presents are always welcome, you rambling inanely is amusing, but your apparent need to apologise for no reason... that's just rather annoying."

"Sor..." Harry started to say, but he stopped himself when his boyfriend narrowed his eyes into a deadly glare. "Less apologising, got it."

"So," Draco said, feeling mollified and keen to move back onto the topic of Harry giving him presents, "if this is for me, then what did you get baby?" Draco enquired curiously.

"I'll show you when you're done with breakfast," Harry told him, stealing a grape and placing a kiss on Draco's cheek before climbing out of bed. "So what did you get me?" he asked as he headed for the bathroom.

"I... I am giving you a child," Draco answered pompously, with an indignant look on his face. "Is that not enough?"

Harry, however, simply laughed, turning to grin at Draco. "You did forget," he stated, with obvious glee. "And yes, Draco, that is plenty. It is the most wonderful gift I have ever had, but you still forgot what today is."

"I did not forget," Draco told him huffily as Harry disappeared through the door. "My mind was just occupied with more important things," he told the now empty room.

-#-

"I completely forgot Valentine's Day," Draco stated under his breath to Blaise and Pansy as he squashed himself into the almost nonexistent space between them in the Great Hall, making them both shuffle along a little to give him room.

He was pointedly ignoring the pink hearts that were floating with the candles above them and the all-too-obvious Valentine's Day theme to the decor. It was a little harder to pretend not to notice the various love letters and cards that were being charmed to fly across the room, or being hand-delivered by the younger students who didn’t know the charms yet; but he made a valiant effort, nonetheless. They all made him feel uncomfortably as though he had failed Harry, something which he was determined to rectify as soon as possible.

"I thought you would be sitting with lover boy," Pansy said, looking up from her breakfast to glance towards the Gryffindor table. Harry was sitting there, across from Neville and Seamus, happily chatting away with the pair of them.

"No, didn't you hear me?” Draco grumbled under his breath with a tone of exasperation. “I forgot what day today was, and now I need you two to help me think of something," he said, looking between his two best friends.

"But today is your special day, Draco," Blaise said with a very amused grin that had the blond decidedly confused; it must have shown on his face because Blaise's grin widened before he asked, "Do you get to meet up with all the other cupids on Valentine's Day?"

Draco groaned and rested his forehead on the table. It hadn't even occurred to him that he and Harry were not something pretty close to a real life cupids; he was betting Blaise's that that wouldn't be the last reference to his inheritance that he would hear that day. "That's not funny, Blaise," he said in a monotone, his voice muffled slightly from how he was sitting.

"It was a little bit funny," Pansy contested, and Draco turned his head just enough to glare at her.  "Cheer up, Draco; why don't you eat something? You will regret it later if you don't," she pointed out. They all knew how hungry the pregnancy was making him lately and, honestly, she didn’t want to be the one he came whining to when he got hungry before lunch time.

"I already ate," Draco said, sitting back up and looking across the room at Harry, who noticed and gave him a brilliant smile. "He brought me breakfast in bed," the blond told them and his wings appeared to droop sadly with the confession.

"Awww, seriously? That's so cute," Pansy cooed at him before she broke into a chuckle.   

"Can't you just give Harry sex or something later?" Blaise asked dismissively; his attention was already focused back on the book he was reading as he slowly ate what was left of the meal in front of him.

Draco glared at Blaise for a moment before he turned back to his other, currently far more attentive, friend. "He also got me this," Draco said as he held out his hand in Pansy's general direction by way of an explanation, displaying the Potter ring on his middle finger.

Pansy snatched his hand in her own and he let her take her time as she examined it closely, as though to make sure that it was the genuine article. He wasn't even sure that Harry really understood the seriousness of the gift he had given, though his words about proving Draco was family were close enough. However, Draco had no doubt that Pansy would recognise the significance. They both knew that there was no way he could offer sex up as a fair exchange for such a thing.

"He also found the bassinette from when he was a baby," Draco told Pansy with a weary expression. "It really is lovely, with little animal carvings that dance around and the Potter crest; I think it probably has been in the family at least a handful of generations."

In truth, he had been far more emotional that he wanted to admit when Harry had dragged him out of bed to see the bassinette, which was in their sitting room area. It had somehow made everything feel a lot more real and that, combined with the pregnancy hormones that had been assaulting his body lately, had caused him to come across all weepy.

Though, Draco thought to himself, as he pulled his hand back out of Pansy’s rather firm grip and looked at the ring for himself once more, he was rather glad that Harry had given him a gift that was actually for him, rather than thinking only of their child. Draco was now mostly used to the idea of the child growing within him, but he still felt better having tangible proof that Harry was sticking around for more than the child they shared.

"Isn't that a good thing?” Pansy asked, pulling Draco from his thoughts. “You love presents," she pointed out with confusion. She was reluctantly impressed with the gifts, they showed that Potter might actually have a little more of a brain to work with than she had assumed, and she could tell that Draco loved them.

"I know, that's what I told Harry when he got all apologetic about getting me several things," Draco told her with a heavy sigh, "but with all these gifts, particularly with not having given him anything in return, I now feel like some kept woman."

"That's because you are," Blaise said unhelpfully, still not looking up from his book as Draco glared at him... again. Blaise waited, he could practically feel the way his friend was looking at him burning into his skin and after a long few seconds he finally looked up with a smile. "Minus the woman bit, of course," he amended, with a innocent expression.

"Of course," Draco said dryly, not feeling overly amused by his friend's unhelpful remarks. Pansy too had her eyes narrowed at Blaise for a moment before she turned to the blond with a pointed expression.

"Draco, dear," Pansy said sternly, and she waited just long enough for her friend's attention to be back on her, "do I need to remind you that you actually enjoy being pampered and spoilt? Why not let him?" she asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I am quite happy for him to," Draco assured her. He hadn't, after all, been lying about how much he enjoyed being given gifts, but he did feel like he needed to make sure Harry knew that they were equals in their relationship; just because he was the submissive partner didn't mean he belonged to Harry, or at least no more than Harry belonged to him. "I suppose I just don't want to be outdone by Harry Potter," he added, putting it into terms that he hoped might inspire Blaise into action.

"Do you want my honest opinion, Draco?" Blaise asked with a weary sigh, closing his book with all the dramatic flair he could manage and turning to face his friend.

"Yes..." Draco said hesitantly, suddenly getting the feeling that he might come to regret that answer. However, despite what some people might think, Blaise was incredibly smart and an excellent Slytherin; Draco did value his opinions on many things.

"You won't like it," Blaise told him warningly, pausing for dramatic effect. "This is your absolute last chance to tell me to keep my mouth shut; not promising I will do it, mind," he promptly added with a grin, "but..."

"Blaise..." Draco interrupted sternly before his friend could go off on a tangent.

"You should talk to Granger," Blaise stated simply. "She is the person who is mostly likely to know exactly what Harry would want most," he added, when Draco looked like he was about to tell him how ridiculous the idea was. "And I told you that you wouldn't like it."

Draco scowled. Blaise was right about at least one thing, he didn't like that suggestion one bit; however, with great reluctance, he had to concede, to himself at least , that his friend might have a point, which just made it even more infuriating. Harry wasn't really the kind of person who would appreciate a gift of monetary value and therefore Draco knew he would have to be more creative; Weasley would likely not be aware enough to know what to suggest but Granger... she would almost certainly be able to point him in the right direction.

"It's not a terrible idea," Pansy said, trying to suppress her amusement at the expression on Draco's face. They had made great progress in terms of getting along with Potter and his friend, Pansy would even go so far as to say she could understand why Potter was friends with Granger, but there were still some issues to be worked on.

"And yet, that somehow makes it all the more distasteful to me," Draco grumbled, with a glance over to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione, Ron and Dean had, at some point, joined Harry, Seamus and Neville.  

Draco tried not to feel even hurt when Greg and Vince walked past him without so much as a second look, heading further down the table. He told himself that their sudden and inexplicable change of heart didn’t bother him, didn’t make him suspicious, but there were just some things he couldn’t deny, especially not to himself. He would figure out what was going on there, but that could wait; first things first, he apparently needed to figure out a way to speak with Granger... privately... and soon.

-#-

"What's going on?" Draco asked as he, Blaise and Pansy approached Harry and his friends. They were standing with a small gathering of students just outside Snape's classroom. There wasn't the full class there but, those who were, were talking animatedly, not something that was common to see amongst a group of students about to face a double lesson of potions with Severus Snape.

"Snape has cancelled his class," Harry explained with a pensive frown. Given the last time that that had happened it had been because the Potions Master had been stuck in the Medical Wing, he couldn't help but be concerned.

"He can't have," Pansy insisted huffily, stepping passed the Gryffindors to get to the door, where she found the notice that had been stuck there. Draco, who shared her scepticism but equally knew that Harry wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true, stepped up next to her; however, as expected, the message only confirmed what Harry had already told them.

"And here was me assuming that Professor Snape's absence in the Great Hall during breakfast was because he and your father were celebrating this most romantic of days," Blaise said teasingly, leaning against the wall next to the door as he smirked at Draco. "Unless they are still celebrating."

"Disturbing," Draco stated simply, before returning to stand next to Harry, leaning easily against his mate's side and welcoming Harry's arm over his shoulders.  "Besides, that is certainly not a reason for which Professor Snape would cancel a class."

"You're completely sure of that?" Blaise asked, clearly enjoying the somewhat revolted expression that crossed the blond's face; Harry and Ron too looked rather disturbed by the prospect.

"Of course, I'm sure," Draco insisted, his tone sounding offended at being doubted. "Have any of you ever known Professor Snape to miss a class before, other than the other day?" he asked, looking around at his and Harry's friends, already knowing they hadn't.

"Well I kinda don't really care why, to be honest," Ron stated. "Whatever the reason, it is still a free morning. I say we go play Quidditch," he suggested enthusiastically and Harry couldn't help but grin in hopeful agreement. A few hours playing Quidditch would be a great way to round off his morning.

"Honestly, Ron, there are other things you could do with a few spare hours," Hermione pointed out with an exasperated tone.

"But... but Quidditch..." Ron said with a baffled tone that made Harry choke out a laugh. The red-head would never understand why anyone would turn down a perfectly good opportunity to play the sport, certainly not when studying in the library was the alternative.

“I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Weasley,” Blaise said, looking slightly disgusted with himself. It was a beautiful day out, however, and Quidditch did sound like fun, even if he wasn’t usually one for the sport.

“Well I can’t play, so maybe I will just join Granger in the library,” Draco suggested. It was too perfect; this way, he would get to speak to her without Harry listening, without even having to get all devious Slytherin about the whole thing.

“I am not going to...” Harry started to say, but Draco reached up and pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

“I don’t need you hovering over me, Harry,” Draco said sternly. “You should go play and I will see you at lunch. And yes, I am sure,” he added when his boyfriend opened his mouth to object.

“Okay,” Harry agreed, realising it was already a battle lost; not that he was exactly upset by this as flying did sound pretty perfect to him at that moment. Breaking into a grin, he pressing a quick chaste kiss to Draco’s lips, “see you at lunch,” he told him before hurrying off with Ron to go find their brooms, Blaise following them at a far more leisurely and dignified pace.

“So, Granger,” Pansy said once the boys had disappeared out of sight. "Draco and I have something to ask your opinion on," she said as she linked her arm with Hermione and smiled.

Draco rolled his eyes; sometimes Pansy really didn’t have any sense of tact or subtlety; though, admittedly, he supposed that this was one of those occasions when direct might be the best policy. He still wasn’t completely enamoured with the idea of requesting Granger’s assistance, but for Harry... well, he would make allowances.

“Really?” Hermione asked, with a sceptical frown on her face. Clearly she thought that whatever the Slytherins were up to was likely something that she would be unable to approve of.

“Really,” Draco stated, as the three of them headed in the direction of the library. “And don’t worry, I think you will actually want to help on this occasion,” he assured her.

-#-

Dumbledore was frustrated. It was most unlike Severus to abandon his duties as a teacher for any reason, so the fact that the man had seemingly vanished without an explanation had, of course, worried the Headmaster greatly.

He was fairly sure that he knew where the man had gone; something that had been all but confirmed when he had tried to locate Severus and been unable to get through the wards that had been put in place, despite several attempts. Of course, knowing the man's likely location didn’t make Severus Snape’s disappearance any less concerning.

Other than his worries for Severus, it had actually been a fairly pleasant morning for the most part. He generally enjoyed Valentine’s Day, which was always full of innocent, and sometimes less innocent, expression of young love. Many of his staff were less fond of the celebration due to the distractions it caused, but Dumbledore considered it worth the trouble. Love was, after all, a powerful magic all of its own in his opinion.

The Headmaster had been about halfway through a most excellent breakfast when an owl had dropped a note in front of him. He fed the owl a piece of bacon and thanked it, before picking up the letter; he saw at once that it was written, quite unexpectedly, in Severus’ scrawl.

**_‘Regretfully, there is some unexpected and unavoidable business I have to attend to. I will arrange to speak with you upon my return in no more than two days’ time. It would be appreciated if you would find alternative accommodation for our house guest.’_ **

It had taken a few moments to let the information sink in but he had quickly realised to whom the phrase ‘house guest’ referred; at which point he opted to skip the remainder of breakfast to pay a visit to Lucius Malfoy. It seemed that his day was to be full of surprises when he had found the usually regal blond man passed out from having consumed far too great an amount of alcohol; a quick spell had confirmed that Lucius was in no present danger and so the headmaster was content to let the man sleep it off.

It was unfortunate that an unconscious Lucius was not going to be able to give him any answers to the numerous questions that the letter had raised in his mind. And the combination of Lucius’ inebriated state and the secure wards are Severus' home, had left him with some rather disappointing conclusions about the current state of Lucius and Severus’ relationship.

It would not, however, be possible for him to verify any of his suspicion or concerns without a conversation with at least one of the two men involved and so he would have to exercise some degree of patience. For now though he would focus his efforts on selecting and then fortifying Lucius’ new prison, and in hoping for Severus' prompt return.

-#-

Ginny was more than a little frustrated to arrive in the Great Hall in plenty of time for lunch only to discover that Hermione, Malfoy and Parkinson were already sat at the Gryffindor table; though she allowed herself a moment to admire the oddness of finding those three particular individuals sitting together discussing something in  an almost conspiratorial whispers. She did wonder if the three of them were up to something, but she didn't allow herself to dwell it, as she had her own plan to figure out.

She had deliberately hurried from her last lesson before lunch as early as she could, just to ensure that she got to the Gryffindor table before anyone else, however, it seemed she had been foiled at the first hurdle. Had it been any other prank she would have just put it aside for another day, but not this one. No, the beauty of this one was precisely that it was designed with this very day in mind.

Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she moved across the room and took the seat opposite Parkinson and Malfoy, next to Hermione. She hadn’t really figured out how she was going to carry out her plan but she was not ready to give up yet.


	29. Escapades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 29; Barring a error made saving this chapter (which lost me around 600 words I had to re-write) this chapter has come together very nicely in my opinion. I would love to hear your thoughts on Ginny's prank and on Draco's Valentine's Day surprise. Not one person managed to correctly guess what either of them were.  
> Not sure how we are looking for the next chapter, I do know roughly where it is going, but it is not going to be an easy one to write. I will post regular progress reports via my facebook account.  
> So please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.
> 
> As always, thanks to my wonderful beta AchillesTheGeek.  
> And to my coauthor, StrawberryGirl87, who helps keep me from turning sane ;)  
> And to my facebook peeps, who helped me through the traumatic file-saving-error event of the other night, you know who you are; you are very special to me.
> 
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

Draco was watching Ginevra Weasley as discreetly as he could, out of the corner of his eye. She was up to something; he had been sure of that from the moment she had headed towards them at the Gryffindor table and taken a seat opposite him. She didn't seem to have noticed how they stopped talking when she joined them; they hadn't wanted her to overhear them talking about Draco's surprise for Harry.

He had been sitting with Pansy and Granger at the table for the last hour; having finished off their homework in the library, they had decided to wait for the others in the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Blaise had yet to return from their impromptu Quidditch game, which was probably what had led Pansy to easily switch from their discussion about the surprise into a conversation about the appeal of Quidditch and why the sport was so popular.

This was partly why Draco was so suspicious of the youngest Weasley; not only was she a fanatical Quidditch player, she had an opinion on everything; and yet she had not made any attempt to join in their conversation. Another thing that roused his suspicion was that she seemed to keep playing with something in her pocket; though from his position across the table from her he couldn't be certain of that.

He still wasn't quite sure why he and Pansy had let Granger talk them into sitting at the Gryffindor table in the first place; 'Harry would really appreciate it,' was certainly feeling like less and less of a good reason. While the baby definitely seemed to be demanding that he provide it with magical energy from its Daddy soon, that could have been accomplished just as easily by Harry sitting with him at the Slytherin table.

Though, Draco could reluctantly admit, at least to himself, that all the help Granger had given him with coming up with a Valentine's Day surprise for Harry had been rather useful and so perhaps agreeing to eat lunch at their table wasn't too much of a price to pay.

"Okay, Weasley, spill," Pansy said suddenly, her voice irritable and impatient as she rounded on the red-head, who had glanced towards the entrance to the Great Hall for a third time in as many minutes. Draco just smirked at the fact that he hadn't been the only one who had spotted that something was going on.

"Huh?" Ginevra said, turning to look between the two of them with a confused expression; clearly the girl had been lost in her own little world and waiting for something or someone.

"What are you up to?" Draco questioned with narrowed eyes, trying to figure her out.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, looking slightly taken aback by the unexpected turn in the conversation. Apparently she had been completely oblivious to the little telltale signs that the Slytherins had spotted with ease. Though that might well have had something to do with that she was sitting next to, rather than across from, the red-head.

Ginny cursed under her breath; there was no way she was going to pull it off now... not unless... Unless she could adjust her plans slightly and get them in on it. Malfoy and Parkinson would be an easy sell, she calculated, but Hermione was a stickler for rules and surely wouldn't approve. There was nothing for it, she supposed, it was either confess and hope they would help or else scrap the whole thing, and she would be damned if all that work would be for nothing.

"Fine," she said grumpily, pulling the vial out of her pocket and placing it on the table in front of them. "This is a potion," she told them.

"I probably could have worked that out for myself," Malfoy said with an eyebrow raised in amusement, keeping his voice steady to hide the curiosity burning in him as to what this was all about.

"I should hope so too,” Ginny replied with a fake smile, “but this is a potion I had my brothers make especially for today," she explained, with another nervous glance towards the door.

"Who are you waiting for?" Hermione asked, following the direction of Ginny's gaze.

"Harry," she told them and all three of them gave her looks that demanded an explanation. "I was going to give this to both Harry and Malfoy. Sorry," she added, not sounding particularly apologetic and giving Draco a wry smile as she shrugged her shoulders. "It would..." she paused, biting her lip, before leaning over the table to whisper her secret to Malfoy.

"What were you thinking?!" Draco hissed at her through gritted teeth, as she sat back down, his hand pressing protectively over his own belly. "This is a completely experimental potion and you would have given it to me, not knowing what it might have done to...?" Draco cut himself off before he said 'baby' a bit too loudly for being in the slowly filling Great Hall.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Malfoy, of course we made sure it was safe,"  Ginny told him dismissively with a wave of her hand. "That was what took half the time. Fred and George were absolutely certain that it wouldn't case any problems; even for..." she added with a vague gesture at her belly.

"Hmm, thanks," Draco said sarcastically, with a deep frown. He was not at all comfortable that the potion was intended to be used of him, and that wasn't solely out of concern for his unborn child either; it seemed he had had a narrow escape.

"So are you going to let us in on what it does?" Pansy asked impatiently, looking between Ginny and Draco expectantly.

"Might as well," Ginny said with a sighed, nodding her agreement, and both she and Draco whispered to each of the girls next to them.

Hermione pulled back and stared at Ginny in surprise; she looked to be torn between disapproval and amusement, which Ginny supposed was not actually a great deal different from how Hermione usually looked when met with a Weasley prank. Pansy, on the other hand was grinning at Draco and looked almost delighted at the prospect.

"Anyway, the point is..." Ginny said, pressing on; it surely wasn't going to be long before the others turned up for lunch and she wanted to make sure they were all on the same page by then. "Obviously I can't use this on you anymore but..."

"You want us to help you dose Potter with it?" Pansy interrupted, sounding every bit as pleased with that idea as Ginny had hoped she would be. Ginny was rather delighted to note that Draco was smirking a bit at the concept too, even if Hermione was still frowning in disapproval.

"So you'll help me?" Ginny asked hopefully, looking to Draco first.

"Oh no," Draco said firmly, letting out a soft, tinkering laugh as he shook his head. "I am not getting my hands dirty here. There is no way I am deliberately putting myself in Harry's bad books; I have to live with him for the rest of my life after all."

"Coward," Ginny gripped, though there wasn't much heat behind it. "Will you at least not stop _me_ from doing it?" she requested.

"That much I can manage," Draco conceded with a bow of his head. Pansy chuckled a little as she too nodded her agreement and Ginny grinned happily at their cooperation.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, turning to look at the brunette expectantly. It was all hanging on Hermione's agreement now and so Ginny gave her the most pleading expression she could manage.

"Okay fine..." Hermione relented. She had to admit that it did sound quite amusing and as long Ginny really was sure that it would be safe, she couldn't really object too much; besides, she thought the others might just magically gag her if she didn't agreed to go along with it more-or-less willingly.

"Excellent," Ginny said, grinning as she tipped half the bottle into one of the spare goblets and placed it ready, hiding the now only half full vial back in her pocket.

-#-

Between the students who should have had potions that morning and those from the upper years who had free periods, they had actually found quite a few takers for Quidditch. Not quite enough for full teams, but pretty close; there was a good mixture of students from each house too. Ron and Blaise had even managed to play on the same team without insulting each other... much. That, of course, didn't mean they hadn't argued; that would be far too much to hope for.

 "That was totally a foul," Ron insisted as they had their way back up to the castle. It was now almost lunch time and they headed towards the Great Hall, where he could hear the general hubbub of the students already gathering in there.

"It was not; it was permissible because the beater was approaching from the outside, Weasley," Blaise retorted. Harry, who was walking a few feet in front of them, just rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore them.

This was the third argument the two of them had had over some of the more complex rules of the game. Harry had made an attempt to referee the first disagreement but when it had become obvious that neither of them were not listening to a single word out of his mouth, he had gone back to looking for the snitch and left them to it. As far as he was concerned, as long as they weren't baiting or hitting each other, there was nothing wrong with a bit of healthy debate.

The Quidditch match had put Harry in a really good mood, one that not even the bickering could spoil. He was, though, looking forward to spending lunch with his mate and, given he had spent all morning away from Draco, he knew it was likely his boyfriend and unborn child would need some of his magic.

He scanned the Slytherin table as he entered and frowned when he didn't see either Draco or Pansy; he supposed that they were still in the library, though he had no idea what could possibly be so interesting that it would make them late for lunch. Turning, he let his eyes wander along the Gryffindor table, and was surprised when he unexpectedly spotted Draco sitting there, with not only Pansy and Hermione, but Ginny too. They even looked to be having a civil conversation.

"Guess we are eating at the Gryffindor table today," Blaise said as he stepped up next to Harry, who was still standing in the large doorway to the Great Hall. The Slytherin sounded just a little bit too pleased with this idea, and Harry suspected that it might have something to do with the redhead sitting across from Draco.

"Okay, great, can we go eat now?" Ron asked, stepping past them both and leading the other two across the large room towards where the others were already seated. Those sat at the table stopped their conversation to welcome those joining them and Ron took the free seat next to Hermione.

"Hi there," Harry said, wrapping his arms around Draco's waist as he took a seat next to his mate. He could feel the familiar tingle of the magical energy transfer; the blond clearly felt it too as he gave a small contended sigh, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. "Better?" he asked softly, kissing Draco's temple.

"You have no idea," Draco said, sitting back up but keeping his thigh pressed against Harry so that he could continue to draw energy from him. He snorted in amusement when he spotted the way that Ron was glaring at Blaise, who had taken a seat next to Ginny.

"Is there a problem, Weasley?" Blaise asked with mock innocence. There was a far too knowing expression on his face as he deliberately leaned unnecessarily close to Ginny as he reached for a pear from the fruit bowl in front of her.

"Stop that," Ginny huffed, swotting at Blaise's arm; he did move back out of her space but was chuckling quietly as he did do. It was blatantly obvious to her that he was trying to wind Ron up by flirting with her, but she wasn't going to help Blaise play his little game.

She also had a sneaking suspicion that both Harry and Malfoy had something to do with whatever Zabini was playing at, though admittedly she was unsure as to exactly what and certainly couldn't prove anything; however, she decided to glare at Draco for good measure anyway, given that the blond was looking far too amused by Zabini's efforts.

"Lighten up, Ginevra," Blaise said sweetly and he flashed an undeniably gorgeous smile in her direction as he reached out to take one of the goblets from the table in front of them. Ginny, however, was having none of it.

"Get off," she told him firmly, lightly slapping the back of his hand and snatching the goblet back from him. " _You_ can pour your own drink," she insisted, before handing the cup to Harry.

"Thanks," Harry said hesitantly, looking a bit confused but accepting it none the less. He gratefully took a swig from the proffered goblet, though paused a moment later, his brow furrowing as he inspected the drink.

Ginny realised that it must have had a slightly odd taste and made a mental note to mentioning to the twins; they would want to know, even if this potion only had this one use. She wasn't the only one watching him closely though and, when Harry looked back up from the goblet, he noticed that he was being watched closely by those around him.

"What?" Harry asked but none of them said anything. "What did you do?" he demanded suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Ginny, who was now biting her bottom lip. However, before his question could be answered, he gasped at the strange but familiar pressure on his back.

"Sorry, Harry, just a little Valentine's Day entertainment," Ginny told him, just before his huge green wings burst out of his back.

"Ginny!" Harry protested, but then he noticed that there was the kind of a shift in the air around him, and his robes seemed to transform into nothing more than a large nappy and a quiver for arrows over his shoulder.  "What the hell?!"

Ron was the first to laugh, though Blaise wasn't long behind, and soon the waves of giggles and amusement were spreading across the hall as more and more people noticed what was happening. Harry went to cross his arms over his rather too exposed chest, and found he had what seemed to be a rubber bow and arrow stuck to his hand.

"Oh this is so not funny," Harry told them a little sulkily, as they realised he had been transformed into the stereotypical image of a cupid. He really was trying his very best to ignore the laughter of not only his fellow Gryffindors but the majority of the Hogwarts student body.  

"You look adorable," Draco teased, running his fingers through Harry's feathers hoping that his boyfriend wouldn't be too upset or angry. Honestly he sometimes wished Harry would keep his wings out more often; he really liked the look of their wings next to each other's.

"Just like a real Cupid," Pansy added in with a delighted expression on her face. Even though the outfit was showing considerably more of Harry than she had ever actually wanted to see, it was completely worth it in her opinion. Some of the students around them seemed to even being admiring him, she noticed.

"Where exactly did my robes go, Ginny?" Harry asked under his breath, not really sure whether he wanted to run out of the hall or stay exactly where he was seated until someone fixed this. Either way Ginny was going to pay for this; he was quite certain, after all, that it was she who was behind it.

"Oh, you are still wearing them," Ginny explained happily. "The potion just created a glamour, so no matter if you try to change your clothes you will still be our own little cupid."

"I'm stuck like this?" Harry asked incredulously with a look of horror on his face as he thought about going to transfiguration with his new Cupid look. He couldn't believe that Ginny would actually do this to him.

"Oh, don't worry, it's only for an hour... or two, maybe," Ginny told him, still smiling. "Depends on exactly how much of the potion you drank."

"An hour or two," Harry echoed a little faintly. "Merlin, Ginny, I am supposed to have class after lunch. And before you even suggest it, Hermione, I am so not going to class like this," he said, leaning around Draco to give his bushy-haired friend a very stern look; Hermione said nothing.

"Well I guess we could find something to do with the time," Draco whispered as he leaned in close to his mate. "You don't have any problems with me seeing you all naked do you?"

"I think I would rather you see me naked than like this," Harry grumbled a little irritably. It was clearly very amusing to everyone else around them, seeing as the whole student body seemed to be giggling and laughing, and even Harry knew he would probably be laughing at it later, but at the moment he was just fairly unimpressed to be sat in the Great Hall seemingly almost completely naked.

"Come on, Harry," Draco said, taking his boyfriend's hand and getting up from his seat at the table. "The only person who gets to mock you for more than a few seconds is me, so I guess I am going to have to keep you all to myself until this wears off," he told him with a grin, not at all sorry to have an excuse to spend the afternoon alone with his mate.

Harry groaned as he got to his feet too, knowing that a lot of eyes were on him, and he tried to cover himself as best he could, mostly using his wings. Draco took a little sympathy on him, knowing that he had only narrowly escaped the same fate, and was sticking close to Harry's side, his purple wings adding slightly to the protection of Harry's modesty. Not that it stopped the sounds of the laughing and chatting students all around them as they made their way out of the Great Hall.

Harry did manage smile, though, when he glanced back at their friends and saw Hermione hit Ron over the head for daring to be so amused by his friend's misfortune; even if, or perhaps even more because, that misfortune was inflicted by Ron's little sister. It seemed that Ginny was getting a few stern words from Hermione too, much to Harry's delight.

"Just think of this as a really great excuse for the two of us to spend the next couple of hours cuddled up in front of the fire in our rooms," Draco suggested, drawing Harry's attention back to him. "I think it would be best if we spent the time completely naked, just to optimise the transfer magical energy. For the sake of our baby, of course," he added with a smug grin, as they left the hall.

"Of course," Harry agreed with a chuckle, though he was not at all opposed to the suggestion. "Sounds great, love," he said, stealing himself a kiss.

The two of them made their way towards the Slytherin common room, given it was much closer than the Gryffindor one, and Harry was thankful that the corridors were almost completely empty. The few people they did pass gave them some very strange looks, but Harry was finding the occasional individual was a lot more manageable than the whole crowd had been.

Ginny was still going to pay for this one way or another, but Harry would at least be grateful for the Valentine's day afternoon alone with his boyfriend.

-#-

“Seriously, Draco, can I look now?” Harry asked again when he nearly tripped over his own feet for the third time. He had a blindfold over his eyes and Draco was holding his hand, pulling him along corridor to some unknown location.  

“No, you may not,” Draco told him a little bit snappishly, barely slowing his pace at all, even when Harry stumbled slightly once more. As Draco had promised, they had had a really lovely time alone in their rooms while waiting for Ginny's potion to wear off but, despite Harry's repeated suggestions that they just stay there, the blond had insisted that there was somewhere else they needed to go.

Harry had no idea where his boyfriend was leading him, no thanks to the blindfold that Draco had insisted that he had to wear, but he guessed that it was some kind of Valentine’s Day surprise; he had honestly thought that Draco had forgotten and therefore Harry found himself definitely surprised, even before they reached their destination.

“And no peeking,” Draco reminded him sternly. The corner of Harry's mouth twitched into a hint of an amused smile; he was fairly sure that his boyfriend was just relishing being in control and he hadn't even needed to connect their minds and feelings to figure that much out.

It wasn’t really as though Harry could have looked, even if he had wanted to; Draco had cast some kind of spell that seemed to seal the edges of the blindfold, leaving Harry in complete darkness. Though, given the sternness with which Draco had told him not to peek, he would never have dared try to remove it anyway. Unless he had reason to believe Draco was in danger, of course, but they were in Hogwarts and about as safe as they could be, and Harry had no intention of spoiling something nice Draco had done for him.

“Stop,” Draco instructed suddenly and Harry did as instructed without hesitation, feeling Draco’s grip move from his hand to his arm.

“Stop looking so pleased with yourself,” Harry told him. No matter how blind Harry was right at that moment, he knew that his boyfriend was smirking at how obediently he complied with the simple command.

“But you are being such a good boy,” Draco said, his mouth teasingly close to Harry’s lips as he spoke. The magical energy transfer bond tingled with the closeness as though begging them to actually bridge the minute gap but they resisted.

“And you are being such a tease,” Harry retorted but the smile on his face showed that the comment was certainly not a complaint.

“Don’t move,” Draco instructed as he stepped away from his boyfriend. “If you do and end up walking into a wall, or something else, then I take no responsibility for it and reserve the right to laugh... a lot.”

“Charming,” Harry said sarcastically, though he was still smiling with amusement. He listened carefully trying to figure out exactly what Draco was up to but all he could hear was footsteps. “Draco...?” he questioned softly; it really was quite unnerving standing there, waiting in complete darkness and though he was thinking he would never take his sight for granted quite the same again after this.

“Patience, Harry,” Draco chastised him lightly, but a moment later Harry felt his mate take his hand once more. “You’ll like this,” he assured Harry, with absolutely certainly in his voice as he lead Harry forward again.

There was no sound other than that from their footsteps against the castle stone but Draco had them pause for a moment, which made Harry think that Draco was opening a door, before leading them through when they started walking once more.

The first thing Harry noticed, which made him sure he had been right, was that the air felt different, or maybe even smelt different; he couldn’t place it but he supposed it felt fresher somehow. And then he noticed that the ground under their feet was strangely uneven, perhaps rocky, and that the temperature was warmer than it had been in the castle corridors.

Draco stopped him with a gentle hand against his chest a moment later. “Trust me," the submissive said, "you don’t want to go any further forward just yet.” Draco’s voice sounded smug; _'no, that's not quite right... proud,'_ Harry mentally corrected himself, and that made his curiosity flare up even more.

As the sensation of Draco’s hand on his chest left, Harry could hear a soft shuffling of clothes that made him think that Draco was removing his robes and possibly his shoes, but it was difficult to tell from hearing alone. It seemed he might be right, when Draco returned to him and helped him out of his robes and shoes.

When Draco also helped him out of his socks, Harry became quite sure that the ground actually was rocky, which was very peculiar given his certainty that they hadn't left Hogwarts. Harry was trying to remember if he had even stood on rock in bare feet like this before, but no memories of any similar sensations came to mind. It wasn’t cold exactly but definitely cool to the touch, and there was a light dampness to it that Harry began to think he could feel in the air all around them, not that he really thought about it.

"Ready?" Draco asked, as he moved around behind his boyfriend and wrapped his slender arms around Harry’s waist. Harry nodded, and Draco removed the spell on the blindfold and even the narrow slits of light, which now broke in at the top and bottom, seemed light a huge respite from the darkness; it was bright and Harry was glad that Draco allowed him a few moments to get used to it before removing the blindfold completely.

When Draco finally did, though, it was still intense, too bright, and Harry pinched his eyes closed against the light. With great care, and giving himself time to adjust, he started to open his eyes again a little bit at a time. As he started to take in the scene before him he found himself speechless; he had literally no idea where they were, nor how they had come to be there.

There was water; a beautiful blue-green lake of water that was so clear that he could see the bottom and the shoals of little slender black fish that were swimming in it. It seemed as though they were in a cave, or a cavern, or something... Harry wasn’t even sure it there was a name for what was before him, having never seen anything of the like before.

There were rock faces all around them, as though they and the lake were sunk deeply into the ground and, when he looked directly up, he could see sky, or more accurately he could see bright light, too much so to be able to make out any detail. However, his focus was already back on the rock faces, which were lit up and shadowed from the light beating down upon them; greys and browns and even reds decorated their heavily scarred and naturally sculpted surfaces. And that water; it kept drawing Harry’s eyes back to it.

His gob-smacked expression morphed into a smile when he remembered that Draco had warned him not to step any further forwards; now that he could clearly see where the patch of rock they were standing on disappeared into the lake just a foot in front of him, he understood why the warning had been needed.

“Amazing, isn’t it,” Draco stated, peering over Harry’s shoulder to watch his reaction. He didn’t need to wait for Harry’s confirmation to know that his mate thought so too.

The lagoon was somewhere that Draco had travelled to on one of the holidays the Malfoy family had taken; his parents had been busy that day, he didn’t even remember with what, but he would never forget seeing the lagoon. He had only been maybe ten years old at the time and had asked the tour guide, who his parents had purchased for him, what kind of magic had been used to make it; the guide had chuckled before explaining that it was all made by nature.

It had taken Draco’s breath away to think that it had happened all by itself, that no-one had made a choice to create it, that it had just been found that way. The one before them wasn’t quite an exact replica, but it was certainly close enough for its purpose and still every bit as magnificent, even if this version was of magical origins.

“Draco...?” Harry asked hesitantly, still feeling totally caught off guard by the whole scene. “Where the hell are we?”

“Technically we are inside the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle,” Draco informed him, watching as Harry mouthed ‘oh’ silently and nodded once in amazed comprehension. “This place, though,” he went on, “is from somewhere I remember visiting on one of the Greek islands when I was younger.”

“It’s...” Harry started, belatedly realising that he didn’t have any of the words that he needed to explain what was in front of his eyes. “I had no idea the room could do something like this,” he went for instead, turning around and wrapping the blond up in his arms, Draco’s head leaning against his chest.

“Apparently it is perfectly capable,” Draco stated, grinning up at Harry, very much enjoying his mate's reaction. Though he paused with a thoughtful expression a moment later, glancing at the room around them.  “I would be curious to test its limits one day.”

“That would be interesting," Harry agreed, brushing his fingers over Draco's wings as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the submissive's cheek. "Though we wouldn’t want to push it to breaking point,” he added, hating the idea of damaging the wonderful room. _'The wonderful room that Draco used to give me... this,'_ he thought, looking over his shoulder again at the truly spectacular place. “So why are we here?” he asked after a moment, turning back to Draco.

“Because it is Valentine’s Day and I wanted to get you something,” Draco told him as though that much should have been obvious. Actually it was obvious; Harry had figured that much out with ease, but Draco’s reasoning for this specific gift was escaping him. “You’ve never been anywhere,” the blond added after a few moments.

Harry stared at his boyfriend in amazement. He didn't think they had ever actually discussed that, they hadn't really discussed either of their childhoods much at all, and so he wondered how Draco had known. “That’s true...” Harry said slowly.

“And that is obviously unacceptable,” Draco informed him with a grin. “I will not have any child of mine being fathered or raised by someone so unworldly.”

A delighted laugh bubbled up out of Harry's chest; it was just so Draco to give him a wonderful gift and then somehow make it sound like it was an entirely selfish thing.  “To be fair, it's not exactly my fault I haven’t had a chance to travel,” he pointed out.

“I am aware,” Draco conceded, reaching up and running his fingers through Harry's hair affectionately. “But we have to start somewhere, and I thought you would enjoy this place, so happy Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s amazing, thank you,” Harry told him earnestly, leaning down to place a tender kiss on Draco’s lips. Draco moaned in approval, pressing his body against Harry's front, his arms wrapped around the dominant's waist, and when Harry pulled back , they were both wearing dopey grin. “So, can we swim in it?” he asked suddenly as he turned to look at the lagoon, an eager smile on his face.

“I believe it would be unappreciative of the magical effort involved in creating this place not to,” Draco said decisively. “However, I tragically forgot to account for any swimming attire,” he added with a salacious smirk.

“I am sure we will manage somehow,” Harry whispered in Draco's ear, pressing a kiss to his cheek before he eagerly started to undress, dumping his clothes beside him without a thought. Draco, however, was carefully taking off each item of clothing, folding it and placing it in a tidy pile. “I’m not really a very good swimmer by the way,” he said as he turned to peer down into the water, “you probably should come join me just to make sure I don’t drown or something.”

And with that, and with a huge grin on his face, Harry jumped from the rock platform and into the water. It was pleasantly warm and Harry laughed with happiness. He loved the whole thing: the warmth, the water, even the adorably fastidious nature of his boyfriend. It really was a truly wonderful, thoughtful gift and, as he watched Draco slide into the water, Harry was even more certain than before about his decision for that evening.

-#-

It had been a day of surprises, a wonderful day that neither Harry or Draco would forget in a hurry. Despite all his meticulous planning, Draco discovered he had neglected to organise any towels for them; thankfully though, the Room of Requirement had been kind enough to provide them with towels after they had enough of swimming, and dragged themselves out of the water.

Much to Harry's amusement, Draco had been horrified that they had stayed in long enough to get wrinkly skin, something that the blond was still grumbling about as they pulled their clothes back on.

"I think your little wrinkly fingers are beautiful," Harry told his boyfriend, lifting Draco's slender hand in his own and gently kissing each finger tip, caressing each one with his lips.

"Malfoys don't get wrinkly," Draco stated stubbornly, as though the prospect were completely ludicrous and he pulled his hand free of Harry's to pick up his robe, hanging it over his arm. Harry snorted in amusement and placed a kiss to the blond's temple.

"Of course, love," Harry agreed, as he wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, the two of them heading for the door. Together, the they headed back in the direction of their rooms. It had been very strange not going to class all day and, although Harry knew they would probably be in some degree of trouble for that tomorrow, he couldn't be sorry for it at all.

"Are we not going to dinner?" Draco asked, as Harry didn't make the turn that would take them down the Grand Staircase towards the Great Hall. Most of the students would likely be there already which was why the corridors were so quiet and empty.

"Let's just get Dobby to bring us something in our rooms. I'm not in the mood to share you with anyone else this evening," Harry said with a devious smile, holding Draco snugly against his side.

"My word, Mr Potter, aren't you possessive this evening," Draco said with amusement, though Harry noted that he didn't sound even slightly bothered by this; on the contrary, Draco seemed to be rather enjoying it.

"Well I should probably make the most of having you all to myself, before someone else starts demanding all your attention," he told him, placing a hand affectionately on the slight, almost unnoticeable, swell of Draco's belly.

"Mhmm, good point," Draco hummed. "I guess I should do the same," he suggested, stopping their progress with a hand on Harry's chest and going on tiptoes for a moment to press a series of teasing kisses to Harry lips and jaw.

"I... There is..." Harry tried to say, getting rather distracted by Draco's affections. "I have one more thing I wanted to give you today," he admitted, looking rather flushed and embarrassed, as he got up the nerve to mention it.

Draco chuckled a little at that, a grin on his face, pressing another kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth. "What did I tell you about presents not being a bad thing?" the blond reminded him. "What is it?"

"Well, it isn't exactly a present," Harry said cryptically. "Let's get back to our rooms and I'll tell you," he said quickly as Draco opened his mouth to ask for an explanation. Thankfully, after a few moments of pointed staring, the blond nodded his agreement, and they kept going.

The Gryffindor common room was closer, so they went to their rooms via there; thankfully the common room was just as empty as the corridors had been, and so they entered their living room area with minimal fuss. Harry ditched his robes by the door, watching with a smile on his face as Draco dropped his own over the back of the sofa before turning to smirk at him.

"So," Draco said as he walking across the room and wrapped his arms around Harry, "what is this not-quite-a-present that you want to give me?"

"Me," Harry said simply, wrapping his own arms around the blond, returning the embrace. He couldn't help but be nervous about this, no matter how sure he felt.

Draco frowned in confusion, unable to work out what his mate meant by that. "But I already have you," Draco responded with definite smugness. He had no idea why Harry would be seem so anxious either, because Harry was so comfortable with him the last few months.

Harry bit his lip as he realised he was going to have to explain in more blatant terms. "Yes, you already have me, but... I want to give you my virginity," he said, blushing profusely, letting out a nervous laugh.

Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he still didn't really understand. "Harry, dear, you do know how I got pregnant right?" he asked mockingly.

Harry laughed at that. "Yes, I know I'm not a virgin," he said, feeling even more embarrassed and unsure how to explain. "I have had sex... you know... like that," he said pointedly, "but I've never... you know... the _other_ way."

"Oh!" Draco said, suddenly catching on to what Harry was trying to tell him, to what his boyfriend was really offering him, and he couldn't help but grin. "Are you sure?" he asked; it was one thing for Harry to have mentioned in passing all those months ago that he would be open to a role reversal in the bedroom, but for him to genuinely offer it up now that they were sexually active was quite another thing altogether.

"I'm completely sure," Harry said, though Draco didn't miss the nervousness that his boyfriend was radiating. "I take it that you like the suggestion."

"Like? Of course I do," Draco said, leaning up for another kiss. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll take really good care of you," he added as he pulled back from the kiss with a lecherous expression on his face.

Harry gave a snort of amusement at that. "I don't doubt it, love," he said, kissing along Draco's jaw. As teasingly as the blond had said it, Harry really did trust his mate completely.

"Okay, bedroom now, clothes off," Draco said impatiently, taking Harry's hands from around his waist and dragging his mate across their room and through their bedroom door.

"It's a good job I don't love you for your calm and patient demeanour," Harry said, chuckling happily as he was pushed gently backwards onto their bed a few moments later.

Draco's enthusiasm was infectious and Harry made quick work of discarding his tie off one side of the bed and then his shirt off the other. Draco spelled his own shirt and tie away, and Harry couldn't help but smile as he saw them reappear in a neat pile; he actually laughed though when he saw his own discarded clothes appear next to them. Draco's fastidious nature was adorable.

Harry leaned up on his elbows to get a good look at his boyfriend who looked nothing short of magnificent standing before him. Draco's purple wings were spread wide behind him, giving a beautiful contrast to his pale skin; long blond hair had been released from its usual tie to hang lose around his face; and a devious smirk was on Draco's angular face as he popped open the button on his trousers.

Harry's tongue flicked out of his mouth and licked at his bottom lip, before it was pulled between his teeth. Draco really was gorgeous and Harry could feel his body responding eagerly to the sight before him, even given the apprehension he felt about bottoming for Draco. He really did love and trust his boyfriend but it was just that it was unknown territory for both of them. He barely remembered undoing his own trousers, but he pulled them down over his hips, taking his underwear with them, kicking them over the side of the bed.

"Last chance to back out," Draco warned as he stepped out of his trousers and threw them onto a nearby chair, his eyes roaming over Harry's now completely naked body. In truth he would stop in a heartbeat if Harry asked him to, but he wouldn't want to, and so if his boyfriend was going to change his mind he really hoped it would be now.

"Not going to happen, love. I even got supplies," Harry told him as he reached over to their bedside table. Opening the drawer, he pulled out a small phial, which, as he leaned back against the headboard, he held up for Draco to see. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is asking a house elf to fetch you lube? After that there is no way we aren't going through with this."

"I am sure the house elf didn't mind, they live to serve," Draco said, stepping towards their bed and climbing up to kneel on the end, smirking at the way that Harry was watching at him with obvious approval and arousal.

"Dobby is happy to help Mr Harry Potter, Sir" Harry said in an imitation of the house elf that was so convincing that Draco couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him.

"Harry..." Draco said regaining his composure as he crawled up the bed towards Harry, until he was straddling his mate's legs, his hands pressed against Harry's chest.

"Yes, Draco," Harry responded a little breathlessly, as the blond's fingers moving over his chest teasingly.

Draco leaned forward, but stopped halfway towards kissing his boyfriend. "Shut up," he ordered lightly, taking the phial of lube from Harry's loose grip with a lopsided grin.

"Okay," Harry agreed easily, threading his fingers through the soft blond hair and pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss that had both of them moaning with wanting and need.

"Lie down," Draco instructed, breaking the kiss just long enough to get the words out, before moving with Harry so that he was leaning over his boyfriend, kissing each other as their tongues teased and after a moment Harry let him take control. "Good boy," he said with a cheeky smile as he pulled back from the kiss.

Draco lips trailed kisses along Harry's jaw and down his chest, where he bit gently at one of Harry's nipples before teasing it with his tongue. "Oh Merlin," Harry cried out as Draco moved to the other one, his back arching off the bed with the intensity of his arousal.

Draco's fingers played over skin as he made his way down Harry's body, resting on the inside of a thigh and gently spreading his boyfriend's legs apart, without resistance. Harry moaned and bit his bottom lip as Draco's tongue ran the length of his erection and he took a deep breath to calm himself when he heard the popping sound of Draco opening the vial of lube.

"Trust me," Draco told him gently, pressing a soft kiss on Harry's belly.

"I do, completely," Harry responded earnestly, and he looked down at the beautiful blond sat between his legs. Draco gave him a gentle smile and rubbed his slicked fingers together before  reached forward. Harry's eyes shifted back to the ceiling and he still couldn't help but tense as he felt a slick digit press against his arse.

Draco placed a few more kisses to the insides of Harry's thighs and Harry started relax, only letting out a small gasp at the feel of Draco's slick finger sliding inside him for the first time. It was... strange, Harry decided. But it seemed that his boyfriend wasn't going to give him long to think on that: Draco took the tip of Harry's already hard cock into his mouth and sucked, his tongue teasing at the underside of the head, as he pulled his finger out of Harry's body before pushing carefully back in.

"Merlin, yes," Harry gasped out at the sensation, quickly growing used to having something inside him, but then Draco added a second finger moments later, pushing both digits in deeper. Suddenly Harry was scrambling to get a grip on the bed sheets, his breath catching in his throat when Draco's fingers brushed against the sensitive cluster of nerves inside him.

"Bloody hell..." Harry said a bit shakily, his back arching and arse clenching a little against the still thrusting fingers. Draco removed his lips from Harry's cock to chuckle at his boyfriend's reaction, and took a moment to relish the slight of his mate's flushed skin. "That's... wow," Harry said a bit faintly.

"I know," Draco said, looking smug, before he took Harry's erection back into his mouth, teasing Harry with his tongue as he spread the two fingers he had buried in his mate, stretching him carefully.

As Harry began to relax around the intrusion, writhing and gasping in approval of Draco's attentions, the blond slid a third slicked finger into Harry's arse. Harry's hands tightened on the bedcovers either side of him, and let out a soft groan at the feeling of fullness; however, as long as those digits kept on rubbing the right spot to send those sparks of pleasure through him, Harry had no intention of putting a stop to any of it.

Draco thrust, twisted and spread his fingers, wanting to be sure he stretched his boyfriend properly. Like every other part of his body, his cock was slightly smaller than Harry's but, particularly given it was Harry's first time, he still wanted to be certain that he would not cause him pain.

"Fuck, Draco..." Harry moaned, his fingers still gripping tightly to the covers. It felt great; it was intense, perhaps too much so as he was starting to feel like a coiled spring about to break loose; he was going to come before Draco was even inside him and that wasn't what either of them wanted. "Draco..." he said again, "please."

Harry was ready; Draco could hear it in his mate's voice and feel it around his fingers. The blond pulled away, removing his fingers from Harry's arse and mouth from Harry's cock. Draco's own cock was hard with need and his own arse slick with his arousal thanks to his submissive genetics, which didn't seem to have taken note of the role reversal. Picking up the vial of lube again he slicked his own cock, placing a kiss on Harry's belly, near his navel.

Lining his hard and weeping cock up with Harry's arse, Draco leaned over his boyfriend, placing a kiss to the corner of Harry's slightly open and panting mouth. Harry smiled at him, meeting his eyes, and there was certainty and desire there, as Harry's legs lifted slightly to wrap loosely around his slender waist.

"I love you," Harry told him, one hand reaching up to thread through Draco's long blond hair, the other  wrist draped over Draco's shoulder.

"I love you too," Draco replied, kissing Harry deeply as he pushed forward. There was resistance, and he reached down between his own legs and held his cock in hand until, with a wanton groan, the tip of his erection pushed into Harry's well prepared arse.

Harry gave a small wince at the stretch but kissed Draco again, nodding at him to continue. Draco didn't know what he had expected but it was tight, and warm, and intense. He pressed forward gently, in a rocking motion, before pulling back; he would take his time and so bit by bit he was further inside and, by the time he was balls-deep inside Harry, he had to stop to centre himself, lest he come too soon.

Draco began to move, pulling his hips back, before burying himself inside his mate again; Harry groaned at the feel of it, the smile on his face rounding in surprise as Draco thrust, brushing against the sensitive nerves inside him. It was so strange and the knowledge that Draco's cock was buried inside of him felt as good and arousing as the physical sensations. It took a few moments for them to find  a rhythm, but soon they started to pick up the pace, thrusting and moaning in time with each other, stealing momentary kisses before they had to gasp for air.

"Fuck, yes," Harry cried out. "Draco... harder," he pleaded, his eyes pinched shut from the sensations overwhelming his body and yet he was desperate for more.

Draco was moaning in approval of everything, beyond bothering to try to form words, fucking Harry into their mattress. He had one hand on Harry's waist as the slender fingers of his other reached for Harry's cock and wrapped around it.

"Draco!" Harry screamed, as his boyfriend started to stroke him, in time with the thrusting in and out of his arse.

"Look at me," Draco said, pushing his hips forward until he could feel Harry's arse against his full and tight balls, holding himself there until green eyes opened and met his. Holding his mate's gaze, he picked up the punishing pace once more.

Beautiful; that was all Harry could think when he took in the sight of his boyfriend's pale skin in contrast to the rich purple of the wings spread behind him, his intense and loving silver eyes, the way his blond lover was moving above him, against him, inside him. He couldn't hold on any longer and his climax washed over him, his cock spurting and his arse clenching; it was powerful and amazing and he felt a little light headed from it.

The pulsing pressure from Harry that surrounded Draco's cock, and the sight of his mate coming undone beneath him, was all it took and Draco was following Harry over the edge, emptying himself into the dominant's willing body with an exclamation of ecstasy. It took a few moments before was Draco ready open his eyes again, not even realising he had closed them, his heart pounding in his chest as he took deep, ragged breaths .

Trying to calm his deep breathing, and covered in a sheen of sweat, Draco pulled out of his boyfriend, who was quite the sight, sprawled on their bed with a goofy grin on his face. The blond climbed over Harry's leg and lay down by his side, in Harry's open arms; he rested his head on his mate's chest and listened as Harry's heart gradually slowed to a more normal pace.

"That... was great," Harry said a little breathlessly, before turning to look at his boyfriend lying next to him, who was also still trying to catch his breath. "I think I still prefer fucking you but I would definitely not object to doing that again some time."

"Agreed," Draco said. "Though I think we might need to have another try at this the other way around in a bit," Draco suggested, turning his head to look smugly at Harry. "You know, just to contrast and compare."

Harry laughed, very much enjoying his mate's enthusiasm but feeling far too drained to be able to go again quite so soon. "Give me fifteen minutes and then sure thing, love," he replied, placing a kiss on Draco's nose.

"We could use that time for a shower," Draco suggested, as he ran his fingers over Harry's body, which was slick with sweat and had a trail of semen across his belly.

"That's a great idea," Harry said, not moving from where he was laying. His whole body ached pleasantly and he was just so content that he wanted to revel in it a moment  longer. "I love you, you know."

"I know," Draco stated, smiling at Harry innocently for a long moment before finally caving to his wide-eyed, kicked crup expression. "I love you too," he said, placing a tender kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "Okay lazy, get that thoroughly fucked arse up and out of bed, pull out those sexy wings of yours and let's go get into the shower," Draco commanded enthusiastically, climbing out of bed and holding out a hand to help Harry up.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied happily, taking the offered hand and releasing his large wings as he got to his feet, wrapping the mass of green feathers around them both as he pressed his lips against Draco's.


	30. Expediency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 30. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you all for your patience, and sorry this took a while. I am hoping for the next update to be on Jan 14th because that will be the 1 year anniversary for this story, but as it is not yet started, time will tell. 
> 
> The start of the final scene was inspired by and dedicated to Gravity's Child, though I suspect it was not exactly what you intended ;)
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, slash and Adult themes. For full warnings see story description.
> 
> As always, thanks to my wonderful beta AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

While Tonks was busy teaching one of her Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, Remus sat in their private rooms, enjoying some time alone with his book collection. Ever since Dumbledore had requested he move into the castle in order to help protect Harry, he had a lot of free time to do such things. Honestly, he felt as though he wasn't doing much to help Harry and Draco's situation at all but at least it was nice to be able to live with his girlfriend. 

Having spent a good deal of his life being generally shunned by the Wizarding community, the idea of having a girlfriend was a strange concept to him; that Tonks not only tolerated, but actively sought out his company was quite a novel feeling. He had spent some time resisting but she had been surprisingly determined on the matter.

He did find the term 'girlfriend' strangely juvenile, though he had been unable to think of another word that fitted. ‘Lover’ sounded far too sordid and ‘partner’ felt too serious for their relatively new relationship. He supposed it fell somewhere between them all and, in the end, the fact that it was there at all was far more important to him than whatever name it was given; they could call it whatever they liked, and he would be grateful to have it.

One thing he did wish, though, was that he could spend more time with Harry. Not that Harry was avoiding him in any way, it was just that the boy seemed to be perpetually busy and Remus was reluctant to add more to the teenager's already overloaded plate. The two of them talked every few days, even if it was usually just a conversation in passing in the corridors. While he would have loved more, Remus understood that Harry's main priorities were his education and Draco; he could never resent that.

There was a sharp knock at the door, which pulled Remus from his thoughts rather suddenly. Shaking himself from his reverie, he placed the book he had been holding, but not reading, to one side and crossed the room. He had a thoughtful frown on his face as he went to answer the door; he wasn't sure who it could be at such a time given that most of the students and teachers would be in class.

The werewolf opened the door to reveal the Headmaster standing there. "Good afternoon, Remus," Dumbledore greeted warmly, a disarming smile on his face.

"Headmaster," Remus said, somewhat surprised to see the elderly wizard standing outside his room. They hadn't spoken a great deal since he had come to Hogwarts and it was the first time that Dumbledore had actually come to him.

"I was wondering if you would spare me a moment of your time,” Dumbledore requested politely, peering over top his glasses and waiting expectantly. "I have a matter of some importance which I would like to discuss with you."

"Oh, right," Remus said suddenly, realising that it wasn’t entirely polite to leave the man standing at the doorstep. "Please, come in," he said, stepping aside and allowing Dumbledore to pass him, before closing the door.

"Some tea, perhaps," the Headmaster suggested, making himself at home in the chair that Remus had been using before.

"Good idea," Remus agreed, and gave a couple of easy flicks of his wand in the direction of the kitchenette in the room; he watched for a moment as kettle floated to the tap and filled itself, before settling over the top of a small flame he had just lit. With some apprehension, he took a seat on the sofa across from Dumbledore.

“How can I be of assistance to you?” Remus asked, the words coming out a little more formally than he had intended. It wasn’t in his nature to be pushy, but if the Headmaster had a ‘matter of some importance’ to discuss then this visit was not purely social and he had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear.

 "It is a somewhat tricky matter,” Dumbledore said, watching the younger man closely for a few moments before going on. “I am not sure how much you have been aware of, Remus, but we, and by that I mean Severus and I, have been keeping Lucius Malfoy restrained within Hogwarts; more specifically, within Severus' quarters," the Headmaster said almost conversationally.

Remus' expression was pinched with tension; from what he had knew of Malfoy's disappearance, and from the rumours he had heard of the man's visit to the school and confrontation with Draco, he had thought that Dumbledore had likely arranged something of the sort. However, the confirmation of it still made him a little uncomfortable, no matter what Malfoy had done.

"I admit, I suspected as much," Remus said with a nod. He was curious as to why Dumbledore was telling him this now; after all, he had gathered that Lucius Malfoy's imprisonment was not a particularly recent turn of events. And then the sickle dropped. "Something's changed," he stated, knowing the Headmaster would have had no reason to discuss this with him if it hadn't. "What's happened?"

"The situation has become... complex," the Headmaster informed him with a small, polite smile. Remus didn't look impressed or surprised by these words however, and simply waited for him to elaborate. "Severus has requested I find alternative lodging for Lucius for the time being."

Remus thought there was probably more to it than that, but Dumbledore was never one to share more than he felt other people needed to know and so, when the Headmaster said nothing more, Remus didn’t press the matter. He wasn't sure what to say and so was thankful when the whistle of the kettle broke the tense silence. Pushing himself to his feet, Remus headed into the kitchenette to decant the now boiling water into the tea pot; it at least gave him a few moments to think.

“I know that you and Lucius do not have the best of histories but I was hoping...” Dumbledore started to say, clearly trying to be diplomatic; however, Remus swiftly cut him off.

"No, not happening. He is not living here," Remus interrupted decisively, looking up from tray where he was placing tea cups next to the teapot. "If Snape, who is supposedly Malfoy's friend, can't live with him, then how do you think Tonks and I will fare? I'm sorry; I want to help, I really do, but I just can't do it."

"I quite understand, of course," Dumbledore said kindly, bowing his head in a nod as Remus returned to the living area and placed the tea tray on the coffee table.

A heavy silence hung over them as the Headmaster accepted a cup of tea from the werewolf and watched as Remus returned to his own seat, cup in hand. Dumbledore said nothing more but Remus could still feel the air of expectation all around them, and that irritated him, the need to say or do something itching at his skin.

"How can you ask this of me?" the werewolf asked irritably, after a few moments and a few sips of his hot beverage, which had done nothing to calm his growing temper.

"Because I believed you would wish to help," the Headmaster said bluntly, peering over the top of his spectacles again, as he had an annoying habit of doing. "Lucius’ imprisonment here is for his own safety, as much as for ours," Dumbledore informed him, raising his tea cup to his lips slowly and elegantly.

Remus shook his head in confusion, letting out an annoyed huff and baffled as to how the Headmaster's words were supposed to persuade him to agree. _'Is he seriously trying to win sympathy for Lucius Malfoy?'_ Remus wondered incredulously. "As far as I am concerned, that man deserves to reap what he has sown," he said a little harshly.

It was men like Malfoy who had caused the deaths of not one, but two, of his best friends, turned another against them all, made Harry an orphan, and then hunted and tormented the boy. That wasn't even starting on the other numerous crimes the man had been party to, nor simply just how intolerable Remus found him.

"I thought you a better man than this, Remus," Dumbledore said with a hint of sadness, but more disappointment. It was that which made Remus almost flinch; the Headmaster was far too good at knowing what to say to really make you feel guilty and, despite knowing he was being played, Remus still felt the desire to prove himself in the older man's eyes. "I wonder if you have forgotten your reasons for coming here, to Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, looking at him carefully, his teacup cradled between his hands with a gentleness that clashed with the stern tone with which he spoke.

"I came for Harry," Remus told the Headmaster without hesitation. He had come, at least in part, for Tonks too but he did not consider that in any way relevant, or any of Dumbledore’s business. His primary reason had been to help Harry in any way he could.

"Precisely my point, my dear boy," Dumbledore told him almost joyfully, a soft and proud smile on his face, as though he had watched a small child solve a complex puzzle right first time. Remus, however, continued to look somewhat baffled. "Do you forget so easily who Harry is bonded with, that Lucius is essentially his father-in-law?" the Headmaster asked.

Remus sighed; he had forgotten, or at least not placed all the pieces together in the way the Headmaster was laying them out before him. He was also coming to realise that if Lucius was allowed to leave then things would undoubtedly become far more complicated for Harry and Draco. However, he felt certain that there must be someone better suited to acting as a gaoler for Malfoy than him.

"He can't live here," Remus reiterated; he wanted to help but what Dumbledore was suggesting was a step too far. "Find Malfoy a room of his own, connect it to this one if you really feel you must; I will agree to check on him regularly, but he will not live with us."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, draining his teacup and placing it onto the table between them. "This is appreciated and I am still hopeful that this will be a short term situation," the Headmaster informed him, "but only time will tell."

"I hope so too, because if he starts with the snide comments...” Remus threatened; he was not going to put up with Lucius' usual attitude.

“I do not believe you would cause him any serious harm, Remus,” Dumbledore said knowingly as he got to his feet. “It is one of the many reasons I chose to come to you with this request.”

“Harm him... maybe not, but I am certainly not above using a silencing spell to keep him quiet,” Remus said sternly. “And we'll see just how grand and pompous Malfoy feels after a few weeks of water and leftovers.” He felt a bit like a petulant child, but he honestly didn’t care.

“I shall trust your judgement on this matter,” the Headmaster said with a small, amused twist of his lips.

-#-

Draco decided not to stay in his and Harry’s rooms that evening; Harry was there, spending some time with Weasley and Granger, and the blond felt no need to stick around for the speculative discussion they were having regarding the private lives of the sixth year Gryffindor boys. The mental images of what Longbottom was supposedly doing with Finnegan would be enough to traumatise anyone. Granger hadn’t seemed any more interested in the conversation than he had been but that didn’t mean he was going to spend the evening studying with her either.

He opted to spend the evening in Slytherin common room instead, intending to actually study with his own friends for once. It did seem to take a deliberate decision; it was just too easy to end up spending every moment with Harry, particularly when he was so reliant on his boyfriend’s magical energy to help support their child.

As he entered the common room, he quickly spotted Pansy and Blaise sitting at one of the tables underneath the windows looking out into the Black Lake. Draco hesitated for moment close to the door he had just come through, as he realised that Vince and Greg were sat there as well. He narrowed his eyes as he steeled himself, heading straight over to his friends; he was determined to get to the bottom of why the two of them had been ignoring and avoiding him for the last week or so.

“What are we studying?” Draco asked as he dropped into the empty chair next to Blaise, trying to act as casual as possible; he certainly had no intention of letting Vince or Greg know just how much their recent attitude was getting to him.

“Charms,” Pansy told him, lifting up the book she was using so that he could see the cover, before going back to reading again, her lips moving silently and her brow furrowed as she seemed to try to grapple with some concept.

“Don’t leave on my account,” Draco said suddenly, turning to glare angrily at Vince and Greg, who had both picked up their books and got to their feet. If there had been any doubt about whether or not the two of them had been avoiding him, it was certainly clear to them all now, and beyond the point of denial. “What’s going on?” he demanded to know, getting to his own feet and spreading his wings as he stepped in front of them to block them from leaving; he had his suspicions but wanted answers, he wanted to hear them say it.

“We can’t...” Vince started to say, but he was cut off by a look from his best friend. The two of them looked worried and uncertain as they looked to Draco for a moment, before glancing at one another once more.

“Fine, don’t tell me!” Draco snapped angrily, not sure why he was even bothering with either of them if they couldn’t even give him a decent answer to one question. “Just go. But remember, you made this choice,” he warned them as he folded his wings closed, gesturing them to pass.

He had no use for them anyway if they could turn their backs on him so easily; with the dangers that he and Harry were facing, there was no place for those with uncertain loyalties. It wasn’t that he begrudged them their choice, Draco was quite certain that they had their reasons, but they had still chosen and would no longer be counted amongst those he trusted. Perhaps, he mused unhappily, he had been foolish to have ever trusted them in the first place.

“Draco...” Vince started to say, as Greg walked away; however, Draco no longer wanted to hear what he had to say. Even if it was a full confession, it would be a case of too little, too late.

“We’re done here, Crabbe,” Draco told him succinctly. At this point he just wanted his former friend gone from his sight so that he could speak with Pansy and Blaise in private. Vince opened his mouth to say something more but, much to Draco’s relief, apparently decided against it, snapping it closed again a moment later; shaking his head, Vince turned and followed after Greg.

Draco would never admit to anyone how much it hurt to watch them go; he could barely even admit it to himself. However, he had other priorities at the moment, he reminded himself, as he forcefully resisted the urge to press his hand to his lightly rounded belly that remained secreted beneath his robes. By the time he pulled himself from his thoughts, Pansy and Blaise both had their attention back on their homework, though Draco wasn’t fool enough to think that they hadn’t been paying close attention to everything going on around them.

“Who warned them away from me?” Draco asked, as he sat down in Vince’s now empty seat, across from Blaise and Pansy, wanting to look the two of them in the eye while they had this particular discussion.

“I think you already know the answer to that,” Blaise said, closing his book to give his friend his full attention.

This conversation had already been put off for perhaps longer than it should have been, and so Blaise was determined that if they were going to have it now, then they were going to do it properly. He would answer any question Draco had for him; he and Pansy had made their choice, much as Vince and Greg, even if they had chosen a different path. Next to him, Pansy had put aside her own books too.

“Their fathers,” Draco stated simply. He had suspected as much, and had even expected it following the Daily Prophet article, but now he knew he had to face to reality of it. Somehow he had still felt protected from the dangers that lurked outside the castle’s walls; it hadn’t felt real before but now the reach of the Dark Lord was just starting to brush against them. “Have your families...?”

“Yes,” Pansy answered before Draco could even finish his sentence. “My parents instructed me to cease all contact with you,” she told him as she reached down into her bag and pulled out a piece of parchment, sliding it over the table to him. “I made my choice, Draco. That I am still here, our friendship unchanged, is proof of that,” she told him.

Draco looked at the letter, picking it up carefully; he didn’t like that she had kept this from him but at least she was sharing it openly now. He wondered how he might have reacted if he had read the letter as soon as she had received it, before she had shown her refusal to obey her father’s wishes. Draco opened it with care and read, ignoring the anxiety that built inside him at the words against him; Mr Parkinson considered his daughter’s affiliation with him dangerous and Draco knew that the man might just be right.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly, returning the letter to her. He understood what it might cost her to choose him, and that it was possible she might not receive any further correspondence if word of her decision was to reach her parents.

“My mother's words were less... severe,” Blaise told him, holding out his own letter for Draco to take.

The blond nodded his understanding as he took the parchment; Blaise’s family had never expressed the same loyalties to the Dark Lord as Pansy’s, and certainly not to the level that Vince and Greg’s families had. Blaise’s family would remain neutral, shifting only enough to maintain power, money and prestige. The letter from Blaise’s mother was much as he expected, with words of caution more than anything else.

“We chose to have faith in you, Draco,” Blaise pointed out. “Your boyfriend better be able to win this one,” he said with a half smile, attempting to lighten the mood; but despite the joking tone there was a truth to the words. If Harry failed to win, then it was unlikely any of them would make it through the encroaching war intact.

“I need time to think,” Draco told them honestly. He didn’t want them to think he was rejecting them, not after what they were risking for him, their proven loyalty alone made them valuable allies; but it was a lot to take in.

He got up and went to leave but hesitated, turning back to his two friends. They were both watching him curiously with concern and so he forced a smile he wasn’t quite sure looked sincere, but it was the best he had to offer for the moment.

“Go; we understand,” Pansy told him, waving him away. Blaise nodded his agreement.

Draco inclined his head in appreciation, glad that the two of them knew him well enough to understand, and turned to head for the door. He needed someone to talk this over with; his first thought was Harry but this was not a matter that his boyfriend's Gryffindor sensibilities would be compatible with.

Professor Snape; that was his best bet; the potions master would understand. Draco didn’t particularly want to go down to the professor's quarters, largely because his father would be there, but decided that he could always request that Professor Snape ensure his father was secured in his separate room, if he wanted. He was confident that Professor Snape would grant him that at least, even if Lucius would inevitably protest.

Besides, after the potions master being absent from classes for the last two days running, Draco was somewhat concerned as to what could have caused such unusual behaviour from the Head of Slytherin. And so, with that in mind, Draco now found himself too curious not to go speak with him, now that he had a good excuse to do so.

-#-

Draco banged his fist against the door to Professor Snape's quarters again, but there was still no answer; if he hadn't been worried before, he certainly was now. Even if the potions master had gone off somewhere, that didn't explain why there was no answer from his father, who was literally imprisoned in the room.

He frowned deeply, thinking on what to do because as much as he had wanted some advice on everything happening with his friends, he was now far more worried about the location of his father and Professor Snape. With a frustrated huff, he headed back in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

His friends were clearly surprised to see him back again so soon, but Draco completely ignored the confused calls from Pansy and Blaise as he headed across the room, through Sir Selwyn's portrait and into the rooms he shared with Harry.

"Harry, do you have any idea if, or why, my father might have been removed from Professor Snape's rooms?" he asked the moment he had closed the door behind him.

"No,” Harry said hesitantly, looking confused as Draco approached them; Ron had stopped mid-sentence to glare at the blond who had interrupted them, Hermione looking up from her book with a politely curious expression on her face. “Why? I thought you were spending the evening with your friends.”

"I was until it turned out that my friends’ parents are trying to turn their children against me," he admitted grumpily. There was no reason to keep such things from Weasley or Granger; they were both loyal to a fault and would sooner die than betray Harry; Draco found himself surprisingly certain that, by extension, they would not betray him either.

"What do you mean?" Harry queried as his boyfriend pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

"They don't want their children being associated with you because your loyalty is to Harry," Hermione said before Draco had a chance to respond, her voice soft, as though just realising this. There was an expression of sympathy on her face that Draco found rather infuriating, and he had to remind himself that she was just trying to be supportive and that being rude to her now would likely achieve nothing more than hurting both her and Harry and causing more problems that he just didn’t have the energy to deal with at the moment.

"Bloody Slytherins, can't trust any of them," Ron muttered bitterly. Harry, Hermione and Draco all gave him dirty looks, but he just shrugged; he would stand by that sentiment whether they liked it or not.

"I didn't say they were going along with their parent's instructions," Draco bit back defensively.

"Are they?" Harry questioned, definitely curious, and Draco tried not to take the hint of surprise in his voice too personally. He loved Draco, and trusted him, but there was no doubting that Slytherins, in his experience, tended to do whatever suited them best; he only hoped that Draco's friends believed that it was Harry and Draco that would come out on top, and would side with them.

"Crabbe and Goyle... well, I don't believe they were given much choice in the matter, but they chose their families," Draco told them, though he kept his face blank; he might admit to Harry later how much that had hurt him, but there was no chance of him letting Weasley or Granger see it.

"Surprise, surprise," Ron grumbled, his hand waved in a dismissive gesture as though Draco had just proven his point about Slytherin loyalty.

"Blaise and Pansy, however," Draco went on, glaring at the red-head for a moment before turning to Harry, "they are with us."

"And on their word alone you trust them?" Ron asked, looking horrified at the idea.

"If Draco does, then so do I," Harry said firmly, giving his best friend a look that made it clear that this wasn’t up for debate, and when Ron begrudgingly nodded, Harry turning to Draco, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "I'm glad," he told him earnestly.

"Me too, but I still want to speak to Professor Snape about it," Draco explained and Harry nodded his agreement with that idea; the man’s pragmatic bluntness would probably be helpful under the circumstances. Harry, however, suspected that there was more to it and so gestured for his boyfriend to go on. "I went to his quarters but no-one answered,” Draco told him, “not Professor Snape, not my father."

"And you think this is related to why there were no potions lessons again today?" Hermione asked softly, a frown on her face as she thought over what the blond was telling them. Harry too looked concerned as Draco nodded curtly in agreement.

Even Ron looked thoughtful at this news. It seemed pretty clear to Draco though that something was going on; it was strange for the potions master to miss one lesson, let alone more than a day's worth, and now he wasn't in his quarters either and Lucius Malfoy was missing as well. It was all most peculiar.

"I would suggest we ask Dumbledore, but I don't trust him to tell us the truth," Harry said, mulling it over. The Headmaster had been his go-to when he needed answers for so long that he wasn’t quite sure who to turn to now that circumstances had changed.

"Perhaps Lupin could help," Ron suggested. He still thought that Harry was being influenced into distrust of the Headmaster by Draco, but he knew his best friend had his reasons and would stubbornly stick to them; Remus Lupin, however, was the closest thing to a parent that Harry had left. "He is chummy with Dumbledore isn't he?” Ron said slowly, when all three turned to stare at him. “Maybe he will be able to explain and there is no doubting he is on your side, mate."

"You surprise me, Weasley," Draco said seriously, "that's actually a good idea. Come on, Harry, we have a werewolf to speak with," he said, taking his boyfriend's hand as he got to his feet and started to drag a rather startled Harry across the room.

"We'll just wait here then," Ron called after them, sounding amused as he watched the two Erotes leave.

"Now you can focus on this essay you're supposed to be writing," Hermione said, opening one of the thick heavy tomes to about half way through, placing it in front of Ron and tapping a paragraph for him to read. The red-head groaned and rested his forehead on the book.

-#-

"I can't believe you agreed to this," Tonks ranted at her boyfriend; her hair shifting between red and black as she waved a hand in the direction of the new door that had been added to their rooms.

"You know how Dumbledore gets," Remus said, trying to approach her carefully. "Do you really believe he gave me much choice in the matter? And besides, I have to do this for Harry's sake," he tried to explain. Somehow the Headmaster had made it seem like the right thing to do, and yet it was difficult to find the right words to explain it to Tonks now.

"You should have told him no," she insisted, walking around the sofa away from him. She was angry and didn't want him to be all nice and comforting right now. Lucius Malfoy might technically be her uncle, but he was a devious bastard and she wanted no part in the protection being offered to him; not least because she felt obliged to inform the Aurors that she knew of his location, but wouldn't be able to without risking too much.

"You think I didn't?" Remus asked incredulously. "I told him no and he talked circles around me and..."

There was a knock at the door and Remus stopped, both he and Tonks turning to look at the door. He felt a moment of guilt for feeling relieved at the interruption because he was running out of arguments to get his girlfriend to see his side of things; and, despite her clumsiness, Tonks was still a very competent witch who had completed Auror training and could do him serious harm, he was sure.

The metamorphmagus stormed across the room and yanked open the door and glaring at those who had dared to arrive at such a moment; but her angry expression began to fade when she saw Harry and Draco standing there, both looking rather stunned by the ferocity with which they had been greeted.

"I suppose you better come in," Tonks said with a tone of resignation, her hair calming to a stormy blue as she reigned in her temper for the moment. But once she had closed the door she gave Remus a look that made it very clear that their discussion was not over.

"Harry," Remus said warmly, waving his arm at the sofa, offering the two boys a seat. He sat down across from them a moment later. "To what do we owe this visit? Not that I am complaining, mind," he added with a gentle smile.

"Erm..." Harry said hesitantly, not really knowing where to start. It was no secret that Remus Lupin had not exactly seen eye to eye with Severus Snape, and even less so with Lucius Malfoy, so he felt slightly awkward asking him about their whereabouts. He glanced sideways to his mate, hoping for a little assistance and was very thankful when Draco decided to grasp the Minotaur by the horns.

"I’m looking for my father," the blond said bluntly; after all, either Lupin would know or he would not, and they wouldn't find out until they asked.

Remus nodded his head in understanding, as Tonks came and took a seat in the chair next to him. "He is safe, I assure you," he informed them.

"He isn't in Professor Snape's quarters," Draco stated, hoping that this wasn't the 'safe' location that the werewolf was referring to, because if it was then they potentially had problems; Draco didn't believe that his father would return to the Dark Lord even if he did break free somehow, but it was a gamble that none of them could afford to take.

"I am aware of this," Remus said, his eyes instinctively flicking towards the newly created doorway.

"He's here?" Harry asked in surprise, having not missed the gesture, and Draco’s gaze darted to the door with a look of alarm that he couldn’t quite conceal. "What happened?” Harry questioned quickly, grasping Draco’s hand in his own. “Why isn't he with Snape anymore?"

"I do not have the full story, so to speak,” Remus said placatingly, holding his hands up when both Harry and Draco opened their mouths to demand more answers, “but Dumbledore asked this of me and I obliged. I will make sure no harm comes to him, despite my person feelings about the kind of man he is," he said sternly, when Draco looked ready to speak up in protest.

"It's okay, Draco," Harry said, resting his hand on Draco's arm, and meeting the blond's gaze. "I trust him."

"Fine,” Draco huffed out after a few tense moments, clearly far from convinced but not willing to start something over it at the moment. “But where is Professor Snape?" he queried, turning to look at the two adults expectantly. Harry turned to Remus and Tonks too, worried for the professor despite the general mutual antagonism they shared.

"Honestly," Tonks told them, sharing a concerned look with her boyfriend, "we have no idea."

-#-

_He knew this corridor like the back of his hand, but it seemed longer than usual, as though he wasn’t ever actually going to reach the end and turn the corner that would take him towards the Grand Staircase. The light was strange too; it seemed that the flaming torches on the walls were radiating soft sunlight, making it impossible to tell the time of day. And the quiet; it was far too quiet._

_A sudden pressure around his waist pulled on him and he all but stumbled into an alcove, finding himself pressed against a firm chest. Slowly he tilted his head up, his mouth going dry at the sight of the cool grey eyes and smug smile that adorned the pointed but frustratingly attractive face of Lucius Malfoy._

_He was vaguely aware that this was Lucius as he was now, a grown man, but yet there was something youthful about him too. The blond was wearing his Slytherin school uniform for one thing, but there was something deeper than that, and he felt that this might be the boy he had known in school, despite the man’s body._

_“Hello, Severus,” he said, the words rolling smoothly from those narrow lips as though made of pure silk, sending shivers down the potion master’s spine. Severus went to speak, but before his brain could form words there was a pressure against them, as Lucius leaned down and stole a passionate kiss._

_It was intense and Severus’ fingers clung to the school robes the taller man was wearing, desperate for more pressure, more friction, more everything; his breath wouldn’t come and he didn’t care as they kissed as though their lives depended on it..._

With a gasp, Severus startled himself awake, nearly hitting his head against the bedside table in the process of hurriedly sitting up. “Shit!” he exclaimed through clenched teeth, frustrated that his subconscious apparently hadn’t got the message that he was letting this mistake with Lucius go.

He lay back down, staring at the ceiling of his room for a second before he noticed the tapping sound at his window. He rolled his head to the side and glared at the owl there; resentfully he heaved himself out of bed and went to open it. He had barely accepted the letter before the creature had taken off again. Scowling, he broke the seal on the parchment, recognising the hand-writing before he had read a single word.

“Why, in Merlin’s name, can I not be left in peace?” he asked the empty air, glaring at the letter in his hand, wondering exactly how Narcissa had gotten an owl past the wards he had put up to keep them out.


	31. Evasiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 31. A whole year. It has now been a whole year since I started writing this story and I can't believe how fast it has gone, and we are far from done yet, so here is a chapter dedicated to every single one of you who has left he a review, supported me along the way or just simply read my story. Thank you and here is to the next year. *raises a toast*
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> As always, thanks to my wonderful beta AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

"I can't believe he wouldn't speak to me," Draco complained sulkily to his boyfriend, as he barged through the door to his and Harry's rooms, following their meeting with Remus, with Harry just a few steps behind him.

Hermione and Ron were still there studying, and looked up out of curiosity at sound of Harry and Draco's return. Harry shook his head slightly when Hermione opened her mouth to ask something. It wasn’t that he minded her asking, rather that he could just tell that Draco was in no mood to go over all that had happened and the last thing he wanted was to stress his boyfriend any further. He would explain to her later when inevitably her curiosity finally got too much for her.

Draco had tried to speak with his father through the door but the man had stubbornly remained silent. And then Remus had denied Draco's request to enter the room where Lucius was being kept. Harry appreciated that, even if the blond hadn't. Tonks had tried to explain that it was for Draco and the baby's safety but that had just resulted in a tirade of insults which had only stopped when Harry had tried to pull his boyfriend into his arms.

Apparently the blond had not been in any kind of mood to be comforted because at that point he had shoved Harry away and stormed dramatically from the room without another word. With a hurried apology to Remus and Tonks, Harry had chased after him. It was a little concerning that they were still none the wiser about Snape's location but at least they knew what was happening with Draco's father, even if the man seemed to be, in Harry's opinion, sulking.

In his anger, Draco had walked very fast and Harry had only just managed to catch up with him outside the Slytherin common room; a good job too otherwise he might have been left to head all the way across the castle to the Gryffindor common room in order to gain entry to their rooms. Even then, Draco was still shaking, whether from anger or just adrenalin was not clear, but he had actively ignored Harry and hadn’t slowed at all, and despite his longer legs Harry had had to all but run to keep up with him.

Despite his outburst, Draco didn’t actually seem to be looking for an answer as he paced around the room, oblivious to the surprised looks on Ron and Hermione’s faces. Harry sighed as he shut the door, and turned to watch his boyfriend, who seemed to be struggling to get his head around everything.

"I'm his son," Draco said, his hands clenched at his sides when suddenly turned to glare at Harry across the room, as though neither Hermione nor Ron were there. "He can't just ignore me, he must know where Professor Snape is," he insisted, his expression softening, looking at Harry as though waiting for him to fix everything.

"Remus said he would try and find out what is going on with Snape," Harry reminded him, taking care to keep his voice gentle. His boyfriend could get rather vicious when in a strop, after all. "And maybe you could try writing to your Mother; perhaps she can get your father to talk to her and tell her what is happening."

"Good idea!” Draco exclaimed. “I will do that now," Draco said decisively, as he headed straight for his desk; he was still angry with his Father but the mental image of Narcissa Malfoy yelling at her ex-husband for treating his own son so poorly was enough to buoy Draco's spirits somewhat.

Ron privately thought that Lucius Malfoy refusing to speak to the blond might be reason to celebrate, but then the man wasn't his father and he could at least acknowledge that Draco would likely see things differently; so he chose to keep that particular thought to himself.  "Erm... Malfoy," Ron said, sounding a little hesitant.

"What?!" the Draco demanded, turning to glare at the red-head, who he honestly hadn't even noticed was still in the room; he didn't appreciate being held up in starting his letter, certainly not to chit-chat with idiotic Gryffindors. It was not helping that he was rather embarrassed to now realise that he had been emotionally ranting and raving in front of an audience, and was now wishing he had shown a little more restraint. ‘ _Stupid hormones_ ,’ he thought grumpily, frustrated that his emotions had been getting away from him as of late.

"You got a letter," Ron informed him tersely, looking to be somewhere between stunned and pissed off at having been yelled at, particularly given he was just trying to be helpful and had held back his own attitude.

Draco glared for a moment longer, before walking over and snatching the piece of parchment from Ron's outstretched hand, examining it closely. Draco was a little annoyed that the letter had been delivered to Weasley at all, who could easily have read it, but grateful to have it handed over so swiftly with the seal not having been tampered with, from what he could tell.

Draco seemed to be considering saying something, but his mouth became a pinched line as he instead chose to turn on the spot, storm across the room into the main bedroom and slam the door behind him.

"Well at least he is sticking to the 'if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all' rule," Harry said, giving his best friend a wry, apologetic smile, as he took a seat at the table with Ron and Hermione.

"Either that or he actually tried to say thank you and realised he didn't know how," Ron grumbled a little bitterly, rather wishing he had ignored Hermione's annoyed glare that had stopped him from taking a peek inside when the letter first arrived.

"Shouldn't you check on him?" Hermione asked with a worried glance at the door Draco had gone through moments earlier.

"Right now he needs some space," Harry said with certainty. It was strange; he wasn't sure if it was just because he spent so much time with his boyfriend that he could now read Draco's emotions like a book, but he knew that the blond needed to be left alone for a bit. "Trust me," he added, when Hermione looked sceptical.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, happy to let Harry worry about his own relationship, and Hermione nodded her head slowly, still not looking too sure. Harry smiled; it was strangely comforting that Draco was as much of a mystery to his two best friends as ever. Not everything had changed and he liked being the one who knew his boyfriend best; he could almost feel his Erote side preening with pride at the strength of their bond.

"Well, seeing as you don’t have anything else to be doing, Harry, we can all focus on this transfiguration essay," Hermione suggested sternly, to which Harry sighed. "Ron's done reading this one, so it is your turn," she said moving the large book to in front of Harry, who looked at Ron in slight alarm.

"You heard her, mate, it's your turn," he said, looking far too amused for Harry's liking. For Hermione's too, apparently.

"You can wipe that expression off your face, Ron," she told him. "You get to start writing about what you have learned now."

"On second thought, I think I should check on, Draco," Harry said, going to get up. But Hermione gave him a warning look and he sat back down with a defeated sigh. He knew she was right really; he was going to have to do the work at some point anyway, at least if he did it now he would have her help. And so he settled down to start reading, the room silent but for the sound of Hermione and Ron's quills against parchment.

-#-

 _‘Impertinent little brat_ ,’ Lucius thought to himself as he lounged on his inhumanly small bed; he would, of course, never have 'lounged' on anything under normal circumstances, but there was no-one around to witness such plebeian behaviour and these were most definitely not normal circumstances. He was being held against his will by a werewolf, Remus Lupin, and his own niece, of all people; he had no doubt that it was, of course, all carefully orchestrated by Dumbledore. 

His mood was unsurprisingly atrocious. He was infuriated with his new so-called home, which was even less suitable than the accommodation he had been provided with in Severus' quarters. And then there was Severus himself, who he was angry at for both having dared to love him, and then for leaving in such a manner. None of this was helped by his ex-wife's meddling.

And then Draco had _demanded_ to speak with him. It was too much, and he refused; he had no patience left for listening to the whining of his son. ‘ _Let Narcissa and Severus deal with the boy_ ,’ he told himself. ‘ _Or Potter_ ,’ he thought bitterly. After all, the Potter boy was now bonded with Draco; it was Potter's child that was growing within Draco. As distasteful as he found that concept, surely Potter should be the one to deal with whatever worries or complaints Draco had now.

He was quickly finding that he missed being in Severus' quarters. For a moment he had thought that maybe he missed the man himself, but that was preposterous of course; he had come to the conclusion that he was mourning the loss of Severus' rather remarkable collection of spirits. Severus had also had a standing instruction for the house elves to fetch whatever Lucius wished to eat, but now Lucius was apparently expected to survive on the three pitiful meals a day he was brought, and so far the house elves had outrageously ignored all orders he gave them.

 Without even a book to read, Lucius was quickly growing bored with his change in circumstances, and starting to wonder if perhaps he should have spoken with Draco simply for something to entertain himself for a short while. Besides, the elves might be more likely to follow his son's orders than his, though the very idea was hard to swallow.

He couldn't help but wonder how it had come to this. He was Lucius Malfoy, for Merlin's sake; he was the very pinnacle of pure blood society and yet he was being treated abysmally. Someone would pay for this, he would see to it, no matter how long it took.

-#-

Draco all but threw himself face first onto their bed, glad that Harry had had enough sense not to follow him. Grabbing a pillow and pulling it over his head, Draco let out a scream of frustration. Over the years he had learned that his father could be a cold and infuriating man, but never before had Draco found himself ignored and rejected by the man quite so completely.

He tried to roll over onto his back, but when his own wing got in his way, he grumbled irritably as he pushed himself to his feet, spreading his wings wide before taking care to lie down with them pinned beneath him. It took a little shuffling but he eventually managed to get comfortable. Draco was still certain he would never get used to having to have his wings out all the time; though he was at least getting better at only hitting people with them when he actually intended to now.

Draco inhaled deeply as he looked up the ceiling, trying to calm the swirling irritation and frustration in his mind as he breathed out slowly. It helped somewhat, and he did it a few more times before he forced himself to lift his arm and hold the letter that Weasley had given where he could see it. He used his free hand to trail fingers over his mother's familiar, elegant scrawl, spelling out his name. 

"At least one of my parents still wants to talk to me," he grumbled under his breath, as he slid it open in one easy motion, discarding the envelope onto the covers next to him as he focused his attention on the missive within.

_'My dearest Draco,_

_It was so lovely to see both you and Harry the other day, and I must thank you both once again for having permitted me to stay, particularly given the short notice. It was a great comfort to me to see the affection and care with which you are treated, and to bear witness to the happiness Harry brings you._

_However, as much as I would like to dwell upon such joyous things, I am writing to you now regarding your father._

_Prior to taking my leave of Hogwarts, I paid a visit to Professor Snape and your father, wishing to ensure that neither had driven the other to distraction. Unfortunately, it seems that my concerns were not without merit for it was quite apparent that they had had some degree of disagreement, the result of which was in some rather insensitive remarks from your father. I shall not be divulging the specifics so I ask you to be discreet enough not to ask._

_However, I feel I must inform you that, in the light of your father’s insensitivity, Professor Snape then took his leave, with seemingly no intention of returning to either Hogwarts, your father, or indeed his teaching post, in the near future. This does, of course, raise a few issues which I must raise with you._

_I have not been informed as to what is been done in terms of your father's care, but given his recent contemptible behaviour, I feel that I must request that, for the moment, you cease all contact with him. I understand that you may find this request frustrating or hard to comply with, but as your mother I beseech you to follow my guidance in this matter. I must insist on this until he has proven himself capable of being a suitable father for my only son._

_I do not doubt that you also have concerns for the well-being of Professor Snape. On that front I do not have much news to share and I can only offer you my assurances that I am seeing to it that all that can be done to ensure his return is being taken care of._

_With much love and affection,_

_your Mother.'_

Her words both comforted and concerned him, and he took the time to read it through once more, trying to be sure that he had taken in every detail it conveyed. It certainly explained a lot; it wasn't much of a surprise to Draco to hear that his father had managed to say something offensive to Professor Snape; personalised insults were something of a Lucius Malfoy special after all, as Draco knew all too well. Draco was, however, disappointed that Professor Snape had let the man’s words hurt him enough to chase him from the school.

He was also rather disappointed that things had clearly fallen apart between the two men. He had honestly believed that the two of them might have be able to find happiness together and he had begun to grow rather keen on the idea of Professor Snape as his step-father.

Obviously there were issues that he had been unaware of, as his father’s supposedly ‘insensitive remarks’ must had been regarding something serious for Professor Snape to have cancelled classes, and apparently leave Hogwarts altogether. For the moment though, there was nothing he could do to help the potions master, and so he had no choice but to leave that matter in his mother’s capable hands and trust her.

As for her request regarding Lucius, it was surprising to say the very least. She wanted him not to have contact with his father? Draco could only assume that whatever it was that his father had said to offend Professor Snape, had also deeply upset his mother. ‘ _It's not like he wants me to talk to him anyway_ ,’ Draco thought with a scowl.

He dropped the letter down on the bed next to him and crossed his arms over his barely curved belly as he stared up at the ceiling once more, trying to figure out what he should do now. He would, of course, respond to his mother and at least let her know about the alternative imprisonment that Dumbledore had organised for Lucius; despite her words, he knew that she would still want to know that her ex-husband was safe. Draco had also decided that he would agree to her request that he not speak with his father, seeing as he was unlikely to have wanted to do so for a while anyway, given today's rejection.

This thought, however, drew his anger to the surface once more, the humiliation sickening him. It would not have been so terrible if only Lupin and Tonks had not been there watching, witnessing his father completely ignored him. He hadn’t wanted the looks of sympathy they had given him, but, more than that, Draco had been able to feel the undertones of 'what did you expect from Lucius Malfoy?' and that hurt.  If he was honest with himself, he rather agreed with the sentiment; he had certainly had enough of the trouble that seemed to inevitably follow in his father’s wake.

Draco shuffled himself off the bed, with far less elegance than he would have liked, and stretched his wings to ease the discomfort from lying on them. He moaned softly at the delightful sensation before folding them carefully behind his back as he took a moment to ease the tension from the rest of his body.

Feeling somewhat more in control of himself, Draco picked up his mother’s letter and headed over to the desk in the corner. Pulling out a blank sheet of parchment, a quill and some ink, the settled down to write his response.

 _'Dear Mother,’_ he started, tapping the tip of the quill against his chin in thought before continuing. _‘Thank you for your recent letter...'_

-#-

Severus stood stiffly in front of the fireplace in the front room of his house in Spinners End. He had no love for the house really, apart from the benefit of being surrounded by his large collection of books, but for the time being it was still preferable to being at Hogwarts. He was certain that by now there would be talk; it was not, after all, common practice for him to cancel any classes, let alone several days’ worth. And still he could not quite bring himself to care.

His back was as straight as ever, and his arms were crossed over his chest, keeping his black robes wrapped tightly around him, despite the warmth the fire was radiating. Severus would have been far happier to be left alone to lose himself in one of his many fine books, but Narcissa was insistent, and persistent for that matter. After her fourth owl he had finally conceded, and agreed to let her into his home, a decision he was already coming to regret.

Severus was unsurprised when, right on time, the flames turned emerald green and the perpetually beautiful Narcissa Malfoy… _‘No, Narcissa Black,’_ he corrected himself… stepped through the floo and stood before him. It would be poor form for a Lady such as Narcissa to be tardy, after all.

"Now, Severus," Narcissa said with a stern tone that he would have considered more appropriate for Draco than him. "Are you ready to stop behaving like a child and discuss this like the mature adult you proclaim yourself to be?" she asked impatiently, apparently not in the mood to tolerate any nonsense from anyone.

Severus resisted the urge to gape at her, feeling rather taken aback at being spoken to in such a manner by his old friend. He settled instead for simply narrowing his eyes, hoping it would be enough to make clear his disapproval of both her tone and words.

"Very well, the difficult way it is," Narcissa said, sounding none-too-surprised, if a little disappointed.

Severus turned to watch her as she stepped passed him, moving further into his home as though she belonged there. She seemed to pay him no thought as she headed towards the room she knew to be the dining room. However, Narcissa paused as she reached the doorway, turning to give the potions master a warning glance and with a resigned sigh, he followed after her.  "We shall start by getting you fed. Henny," she called out firmly.

There was a small familiar pop and a petite, though rather elderly, house elf with squinty eyes appeared in front of them. "How’s can Henny be serving you, Mistress?" the elf asked, with a slow, elegant bow.

"I suspect Professor Snape here has not been eating as he should, the last few days," Narcissa said primly, with a knowing glance at Severus, who kept his arms still crossed over his chest defensively, feeling no need to actually respond when Narcissa seemed so certain in the conclusions she was drawing for herself. And sure enough, she did not wait for a response before delivering clear instructions to the little elf. "See to it that we are provided with a selection of dishes from a light soup to something a little more substantial."

While it was true that he had not eaten as he usually would, he had genuinely had little appetite and sure that he would have eaten had he felt so inclined; certainly, being forced into consuming food on the whim of Narcissa Black was not something that he was entirely pleased about.

"Now seriously," she said with a tone of exasperation, sitting herself on one of the chairs around the far side of the modest dining table, "do stop pouting, and sit down," she all but ordered him, when she realised that he was still stood in the doorway to the room.

Severus' lips thinned until they were little more than a line, and his eyes narrowed again. Every instinct was telling him to rebel against her instructions but having already been accused of childish behaviour once in the last five minutes, he was sure that any protest he put up now, would simply be taken as proof of his continuing need for assistance. So, resigning himself to his fate, he stepped into the room, pulled out a chair across from Narcissa and sat himself down.

They only had to wait a few moments before a range of dishes began to appear on the table. Just as Narcissa had instructed there were several types of soup and petite sandwiches, that Severus didn’t understand the point of given they surely wouldn’t be enough to curb anyone’s hunger; right though to what looked to be a couple of plates, each supporting the weight of a full roast dinner.

Severus had no trouble admitting, to himself at least, that the food both looked and smelt delicious and that perhaps he was rather hungrier than he had believed himself to be. With that in mind and the tantalising spread in front of him, Severus decided that it would likely be a good idea to eat something. It would at least, if nothing else, mean delaying whatever discussion Narcissa had in mind, and so he pulled one of the plates of roast towards him.

"Now we are getting somewhere," she said happily, though Severus still looked mutinous as he cut a roast potato in half and started to eat.

-#-

Narcissa watched on as Severus ate his way through a fair portion of his plate of food with what she suspected was deliberate slowness. She was not fool enough to miss his motivations but while he was at least eating, she was not going to complain too much. She helped herself to a couple of sandwiches and a bowl of what seemed to be a rather marvellous pumpkin soup, wanting to have something to occupy herself with rather than simply sitting and watching her friend.

She honestly understood Severus' reluctance to talk about Lucius, having been in Severus’ shoes on numerous occasions; however, she was not about to sit back and watch her ex-husband chase Severus from his home and job, regardless of what hope there was for them to have a future together. Though, she did admittedly still hold out hope that things could be recovered between them.

The potion master's feelings were, as she had always been well aware, not new and Narcissa had often suspected that, without the influence of Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius might have returned Severus feelings openly. Of course, that was not to be; her family and Lucius’ had arranged their marriage, and they had both accepted their roles with the grace and humility which they had been raised to show. They had made it work; but, they had never truly been in love with each other, even if they had managed to find a great fondness, that have even looked a little like love, for a while.

And so Lucius' blunt and heartless words had been hard to hear, even without them being directed at her. The pain on Severus' face had been heart-breaking to witness and for the first time she had let herself wonder whether the potions master might have been better off living the rest of his life with his love unrequited.

"You seem pensive, Narcissa," Severus stated.

She looked up from the soup she had been staring into with surprise, not having meant to get lost in her thoughts. She placed her spoon down and sat upright in her chair, her hands delicately placed in her lap before she spoke. "I was thinking of Lucius," she answered honestly, watching for her friend's reaction.

His face became pinched; he pushed his half eaten meal away and took a steadying breath before he spoke. "I appreciate the intent behind your visit here, Narcissa," he said, his voice cold and a little harsh. "However, if you wish to remain here a moment longer, I will ask you to refrain from speaking of that man in my presence."

"I assure you, Severus," Narcissa said curtly, thinking of all the times she had wanted to simply forget all the spiteful things that had rolled off her husband's tongue, "I am perfectly aware how hurtful Lucius can be when..."

"Indeed," he interrupted with a frown. There was no doubt in his mind that the woman would be able to regale him with numerous woeful tales of spiteful things that had come from the mouth of Lucius Malfoy, but that made him no more inclined to be forgiving, nor understanding.

The thing was, though, that he did understand. He could plainly see his own foolishness now that events had fallen out, much as he had anticipated in those first few days of when Lucius had been held prisoner. He had warned himself and been so determined to not surrender his mind in favour of serving his lustful urges; and yet he had failed and now was paying the price.

"You blame yourself?" Narcissa asked, her blue eyes fixed on him intently. She was sure that he did but was curious to see just how much he would admit to at this point. She had always understood him, certainly far better than Lucius ever had or could; they were rather alike in many ways, calculating and collected, but prone to patches of sentimentality that they found difficult to admit to.

"No," Severus stated. It wasn't entirely true, but he wasn't ready to admit otherwise, at least not out loud; but he could see by her soft smile that she didn't believe him and yet was unsurprised by his response. "Maybe," he amended. "I did not make him speak such things to me, though he is not under any obligation to treat me in a particular manner. I simply should not have let him affect me so."

"Ah, do not fear, my friend," Narcissa said, with a wry smile on her face, "I do not believe that anyone will think to accuse Severus Snape of caring too much."

"Fortunately not," he agreed, feeling rather affronted by the very implication that anyone ever might. And yet that was the problem, he still cared, despite his most ardent attempts not to. He had tried to forget the way Lucius had felt against him, or above him, but failed, and he seemed still incapable of escaping the lustful images of the tall blond that had haunted his adult life, and far too many of his teenage years.

"I have no doubt that you will not believe me when I say that I am certain Lucius spoke out of fear," she said calmly. She chuckled lightly at the predictably disbelieving scowl on Severus' face. "He is even less adept at coping with emotional reactions than you or me. To push you away and remove the source of his emotions was a... logical move."

"And… even _if_ we suppose your hypothesis to be correct…" Severus began, still not convinced that Narcissa was not expecting emotion from someone who simply did not have the capacity. "…do you propose I return to him?" he questioned, his tone obviously mocking. "Perhaps you would have me forgive his words, or help him embrace this... affection you suggest he feels towards me?"

"Severus..." she said, her tone warning.

"A woman's sentimentality, I'm sure," he stated with a sneer, not caring if Narcissa objected to his words or took offence.

"I propose no such thing. I simply wish you to see that you were not the only one who let your heart rule over your head," she said snappishly, tiring of the petulant attitude of her friend.  

"I care not for what motivations your former husband might have," Severus told her angrily, getting to his feet suddenly enough to scrap his chair against the floor loudly. Narcissa remained seated, her face carefully blank and as elegant as ever. "Lucius is nothing to me," he insisted.

"And yet you flee from him," she pointed out, and Severus couldn't help his flinch at her words. "He has simply insulted you and you run, surrender so much that is yours. Your home, your job, your potions."

Severus couldn’t help but think on that as Narcissa paused, waiting patiently for him to reach his own conclusions. He hated the truth in her words. He had never proclaimed himself to be brave, and had never sought to be thought of as such, but he had fled like a coward in the face of naught but words. "Then you suggest...?"

"That you return. Lucius has been moved into alternative accommodation, and will no longer be your responsibility," she informed him. "Return to Hogwarts, Severus; that is where you belong."

He watched her closely, before taking his seat again. He felt a little ashamed of his outburst, but took care not to show it. "All this so that I can watch over Draco?" he asked, suspecting her motivations lay with her son's safety as they so often did. That was where her only true sentimentality was to be found, in her love of her only child.

"A consideration that I would appreciate," she admitted, nodding her head at him slightly.

"I shall consider it, Narcissa,” Severus agreed reluctantly. “For now, that is the best I can offer you in good conscience."

-#-

It was a few days later when Harry received a letter from Dumbledore, inviting him to a meeting in the Headmaster’s office that evening. Harry was somewhat reluctant to leave Draco given that there was still no sign of Snape's return and that things were still so up in the air regarding his boyfriend’s relationship with Lucius. Draco had assured him, however, that there was no need for such worries and that he would simply use the few hours of peace to study.

And so it was that Harry made his way through the familiar and mostly empty castle corridors towards the Headmaster's office.  It had been the best part of a month since they had last met; between the release of the article about Draco and him being Erotes, and whatever was going on between Lucius and Snape, the meetings seemed to have been put on a back-burner. Though that simply could have been Dumbledore waiting for them to meet 'at the right time', or some other such nonsense.

Either way, Harry was not exactly looking forward to the next few hours as he climbed the staircase behind the gargoyle and made his way into the large office.

"Ah, good evening, Harry," Dumbledore greeted warmly, from where he was sat behind his desk. He seemed genuinely pleased to see the teen standing before him; though Harry supposed, given the eventual purpose of these meetings was to defeat Voldemort, it made sense that he would be enthusiastic about their continuation.

"Sir," Harry said a little stiffly. He still had very little desire to cooperate with these meetings, certainly while the Headmaster was keeping him so much in the dark about their purpose. He did, however, wish to see to Voldemort gone from all their lives, so, as long as the Headmaster's demands were what he would consider reasonable, he would continue to allow Dumbledore to lead them down this path.

"Have a seat, my boy," he said, his voice kindly and keen in a way that Harry found rather exhausting to even listen to. But he complied nonetheless, moving across the office and dropping himself into the rather kitsch armchair that was there waiting for him.

Dumbledore seemed to be finishing off some kind of paperwork and so Harry took a moment to glance around. Fawkes was absent from his perch and he vaguely wondered where the phoenix was. Otherwise the office was more or less as Harry had always known it to be and he was not surprised to see that the pensieve had already been moved into place and that there were several phials containing memories next to it. He would admit to a mild curiosity as to what they would show, but given the choice, in that moment, he would have still taken the option to return to Draco.

"A few of my own memories to start with today, I think," the Headmaster informed Harry, as he got to his feet and indicating for the Gryffindor teenager to do the same. "I attempted to gather memories from others who knew Tom Riddle in his younger years, but you might not be surprised to hear that most were reluctant to acknowledge that they knew him, let alone discuss or share memories of him."

Harry frowned, mildly annoyed that it seemed he was going to spend another evening studying the history of Voldemort and he could only hope that they would reach the point of this little venture soon.

"We will not be spending much time on these, I simply wish you to show you the studious, polite young man that Tom became whilst within this school," Dumbledore informed Harry, having seen the expression on his face. "Do not fear, my boy, I have a particularly curious memory of when Tom went to meet Morfin Gaunt that I wish to show you after."

"His uncle?" Harry questioned, remembering the memories of the Gaunt family that Dumbledore had shown him previously. That admittedly piqued his interest somewhat and at least explained why he had had to watch the previous memory; he could only hope that there was some purpose to all of this.

"Very good, Harry," the Headmaster praised, glad that his student was paying attention; they still had a fair bit to get through before they were done and so he was glad to not have to be explaining every little detail.

Harry watched on as Dumbledore added the few memories, which were apparently of Voldemort in his school years, into the pensieve. "After you, my boy," the old Headmaster said with a wave of his hand. Harry was familiar with the process by now, and, bracing himself for another long evening immersed in scenes of the past, he lowered his face to the bowl and fell through into the first of what was likely to be many memories. 


	32. Ensconced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 32. My sincere apologies for the long wait, and a thank you for your patience, but in my favour it is a nice long chapter. I had about two weeks off from writing to spend some time with a visiting friend I hadn't seen in a decade. But anyway, enough about me, I shall try to get the next chapter done much more promptly. 
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> As always, thanks to my wonderful beta AchillesTheGeek.  
> (Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

The sixth year students who were taking NEWT level potion classes made their way down to the dungeon without any real expectation of there actually being a potions lesson to attend, given that Professor Snape had now been absent for a whole week. Ron was already happily planning teams for many of them to go play quidditch in the free time and it was only by Hermione's insistence that he wasn't already half way down to the pitch, broom in hand.

So, when they reached the potions lab, it was with a fair degree of surprise that they saw the door to the classroom was actually open and that several students were entering the room ahead of them.

"Do you think Snape is back?" Harry asked, looking at Draco with a rather confused expression. He thought it seemed unlikely that the potions master would have returned to the school without Draco having heard about it. Though he supposed it was possible, if Narcissa hadn't known either, given that almost no-one was actually on speaking terms with Lucius Malfoy at the moment or knew what was going on with Snape.

"It is possible," Draco replied; though, by the expression on his face, Harry suspected that they were thinking along the same lines.

There was, however, only really one way for them to find out what was actually going on, and so Harry and Ron followed Hermione into the room, Draco, closely followed by Blaise and Pansy, just behind them. A few seconds later, Blaise collided with Draco's back, getting a face-full of purple wing feathers, and Pansy only narrowly missed crashing into Blaise in turn. The blond had stopped suddenly at the sight of a short, fat man with a grey walrus moustache standing behind the desk at the front of the room.

"Please take your seats," the unknown professor instructed firmly, bobbing up and down slightly as he rocked onto the balls of his feet, seemingly eager to begin the lesson. Hermione, oblivious to Draco's reaction, rushed to obey, taking a seat at the front of the room and dragging Ron along, insisting he take the seat next to her.

But Draco stood still. The blond was scowling at the stout old man at the front of the room. In Draco's eyes, at least, the stranger appeared to be attempting to replace Professor Snape. He was also quite sure that this would be on Dumbledore's orders; logically he understood the need for the potions classes to begin again but he found that his heart still couldn't help but resent this new man.

Blaise and Pansy, however, didn't seem particularly fazed by the unknown professor's presence and after both giving Draco strange looks for his reaction, went and sat a nearby empty table, two behind where Hermione and Ron were.

"Draco," Harry said, taking his boyfriend’s hand and pulling on it gently to try and get his attention.

The contact sent the usual tingles of magic through Draco’s body and helped the blond to shake off his momentary shock. He carefully schooled his face into a blank expression, but Harry didn't even need to consider reading his boyfriend's emotions to know that Draco was, at the very least, unsettled, if not actually upset, about seeing someone else taking charge of Professor Snape's potions lab. Recovering his equilibrium, Draco led Harry over to the desk in front of Pansy and Blaise and behind Ron and Hermione, moving out of the way of the last few students in their class, who had just arrived.

"Who are you?" Ron asked the unknown professor rather rudely, feeling a little put out that his perfectly good morning of Quidditch had been ruined. This attitude earned him a glare from Hermione; she certainly didn't think that there was ever a good reason to speak towards someone of authority so impolitely.

"I am Professor Horace Slughorn," the old portly man told him, stepping around the desk as the last few students took their seats. "I shall be your potions teacher for the time being. And you are Mr...?"

"Weasley, Ron Weasley," he replied, not quite sure what to make of Slughorn, though he was pretty much of the opinion that anyone had to be preferable to Snape.

"Well, Mr Weasley, as you can see, I have brewed three example potions. Perhaps you can identify at least one of these?" Slughorn instructed, waving a stubby hand in the direction of three cauldrons on a desk at the front of the room.

Ron grumbled under his breath but got up from his seat when Hermione gave him a rather hard nudge to the ribs with her elbow. He shoved his hands into his pockets and scowled as he stomped up to the front and peered into the first Cauldron, his disgruntled expression softening slightly as he examined the contents.

"Erm, Polyjuice potion," Ron told Slughorn hesitantly, and Harry smiled as he remembered exactly why his best friend was able to identify that particular potion so quickly and easily. "That's the one that makes you look like someone else," he said, keen to show off the small amount of knowledge of potions he did have.

"Yes, very good, Mr Weasley," Slughorn said a little pompously, eyeing Ron's uniform to identify which house he belonged to. "Five points to Gryffindor, I think. And the other two?" he asked eagerly.

"Errr..." Ron mumbled vaguely, as he peered into the next cauldron with bemusement.

"I can't believe Dumbledore has just replaced Professor Snape," Draco grumbled quietly to Harry, as Ron dithered at the front of the class.

"Well I guess he did have to get classes going again," Harry whispered back with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm sure this is just a temporary thing, like when Grubbly-Plank teaches Care of Magical Creatures."

"I hope so. I don't like him," Draco said bluntly, narrowing his eyes at the teacher, who was now giving Ron several clues to try and help him guess, looking a little disappointed that Ron hadn't got it as quickly as the first.

"We've only been in his class for five minutes," Harry pointed out with an amused though rather incredulous expression on his face. "But I am sure neither his teaching nor potion making skills will ever match up to that of Professor Snape," he added when Draco turned to him with a rather pointed look on his face.

"You're just mocking me, aren't you?" Draco said, narrowing his eyes at his boyfriend, though there was no real anger in words, much to Harry's relief. "Just saying what I want to hear."

"Yes," Harry agreed, breaking out into a grin. "Yes I am," he agreed shamelessly, earning a punch on the arm from Draco, who returned his attention to the front of the room.

"OH!" Ron exclaimed suddenly with realisation. "This is that Veritaserum stuff, right?" he asked, pointing into one of the cauldrons. "No idea of the last one though," he admitted, scratching at his head a little nervously.

"Anyone else want to have a go at indentifying the final potion?" Slughorn asked sounding rather exasperated already, as he shooed Ron back towards his desk. Apparently he was not exactly impressed by Ron's ability, or rather lack thereof, to identify the three potions.

It was, of course, no surprise to anyone when Hermione's hand shot into the air. Harry was certain that Draco would have been able to identify all three potions with no trouble at all, but his boyfriend was quite content to sit back and let Hermione show off. Though that was probably far more to do with the fact that he neither wanted to co-operate with Slughorn nor get up from where he was sitting, than for Hermione's sake.

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Hermione Granger, Sir," Hermione answered quickly, all but jumping up from her chair to go up to the front and peer into the final cauldron. "This one," she said, inhaling deeply, "is Amortentia. A love potion, strongest one there is. You can recognise it from the sheen it has and from the spirals of steam rising off of it," she told him

"Very good," Slughorn said, looking delighted. "Granger... Granger?" he said thoughtfully. "Any relation to Hector Dagworth-Granger, the founder of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?" he questioned, looking rather excited at the prospect.

"Oh, I don't believe so, Sir," Hermione told him, looking rather surprised at the question.  "I'm muggle-born."

"Oh," Slughorn said sounding disappointed, "well, never mind."

Hermione looked like she wasn't quite sure how to take that but Harry frowned at the casual prejudice, starting to agree more and more with Draco's dislike of the man. "Have five points for Gryffindor anyway," the professor added, as he gestured for Hermione to return to her seat next to Ron.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands together, "today we will be brewing the Draught of Living Death..." he told them, earning a chorus of groans from the class, who were aware of just how very difficult that particular potion was to get right.

-#-

It had been a long lesson and, even with Draco standing next to him giving him guidance, Harry had not managed to get anywhere close to getting the potion right; not that many of the class had, to be fair. Draco had seemed determined to prove himself and as a result won a small vial of something called Felix Felicis. Slughorn had referred to as liquid luck and, though Harry didn't quite follow what it did; he knew it was something truly special, however, from both Ron's obvious jealousy and Draco's far subtler delight at the reward.

Hermione had come close but even she was looking rather frazzled by the end of the class, and despite feeling a little put out at having been beaten to the prize by Draco, she couldn't resent his victory for long when she saw just how brilliantly he had brewed the Draught of Living Death. Slughorn too had been impressed and nothing short of delighted by Draco's achievement.

"I think you have definitely shown yourself worthy of a place in my Slug Club," the professor declared suddenly, approaching the table where Harry and Draco had been working as everyone was packing away their bags to leave for lunch. Slughorn was smiling at the blond as though Draco should have been thanking him for granting him such a high honour; though, from the confused expression on his boyfriend's face, Harry figured that Draco was no wiser than he on what that meant exactly. "Of course you will be invited too, Mr Potter. Quite the couple you make," Slughorn went on to say when Draco didn't respond.

"Erm, thanks," Harry said hesitantly, seeing Ron shrug his shoulders behind the professor's back.  It was all fairly creepy in Harry's opinion, particularly the way that Slughorn was rubbing his hands together gleefully.

"We really have to be going, sir," Draco said in clipped tones of forced politeness, handing Harry both of their bags and taking his boyfriend's hand. "We don't want to be late for lunch, dear," he added to Harry, putting emphasis on the endearment, when his boyfriend showed no sign of moving.

Harry turned to him and gave him a bemused look. He didn't think he had ever heard Draco call him 'dear' before, nor was it something he had ever expected to hear, but when he met the blond's eyes he could see the amusement there and so just rolled his eyes before turning back to the potions master.

"Sorry, Sir, but Draco is right, we really must be going," he said with a pleasant smile as he led them from the room before Slughorn had a chance to say anything else; Pansy, Blaise, Hermione and Ron, who had waited to see what the new professor wanted, following them.

"Oh, right, yes, of course," they heard Slughorn say to his now empty classroom as they left.

"I don't like him," Draco reiterated, making Harry chuckle in amusement. The stubborn loyalty to Snape that Draco was showing, which once would have infuriated Harry, now just endeared the blond to him.

"He seemed knowledgeable to me," Hermione said disapprovingly, frowning at Draco's assessment of the man. She had certainly learned plenty in the lesson and found the man significantly more approachable than Professor Snape, even if he was a little bit odd.

"And anyone is an improvement over grumpy, greasy, dungeon-bat, Snape," Ron said with a grin, looking between the others waiting for them to start laughing or at least nodding their agreement.

He was sorely disappointed though when Hermione simply rolled her eyes, Pansy and Blaise stared at him for a moment and Draco gave him a death glare. Harry laughed, but it was quite clearly more at Draco's reaction that to what Ron had said.

"All I'm saying is that at least Slughorn hasn't decided to fail half the class before we have even gotten into the room," Ron tried again, but Pansy and Blaise simply shook their heads and hurried off ahead of the rest of them towards the Great Hall.  Draco gave an indignant huff of annoyance before he dropped Harry's hand and headed quickly off after his friends.

"Sorry, mate," Harry said with a wry smile, hitching the two book bags back up onto his shoulder as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're fighting a losing battle there. Those Slytherins think far too highly of Snape."

Hermione nodded her agreement with that. "You do have a point though, Ron,” she said supportively, “Slughorn did seem to be at least a fair teacher. But you have to remember that Professor Snape is still their head of house and has been for the last six years."

"Besides, it isn't particularly fair that Snape has just been replaced so quickly," Harry said, actually feeling a little bad for the man. There were some fairly serious extenuating circumstances and Harry just hoped that their original potions master would be allowed to return to his post when he was ready to.

"I can't believe you are actually defending Snape," Ron exclaimed, shaking his head in disapproval.

“Nor can I,” Harry muttered under his breath, wondering

"I thought I was dealing with the whole Malfoy thing pretty well, but now I am supposed to be nice to Snape too?" He shook his head again and, not actually wanting to get into a fight with Harry, he hurried on ahead, in the same direction that the three Slytherins had gone just moments earlier.

"It might have been nice to let him revel in not having classes with Professor Snape at least a little bit, Harry," Hermione told him, though she had a soft smile on her lips and sympathy in her eyes.

"You're probably right," Harry admitted. Everything was just so different now and, no matter how weird it was, Harry considered Snape a better and more reliable ally than he did Dumbledore at the moment. It was sometimes easy to forget that, while he and Draco had changed, those around them had not; Ron wouldn't be able to move past the bitterness from before as Harry had, or at least not as quickly.

"Don't worry too much," Hermione told him, giving him a nudge with her elbow and Harry turned to see the wry smile she was giving him. "Ron just needs some time. It'll work out, you'll see."

"I hope you’re right," Harry said as they reached the Great Hall. He gave her another smile and watched her head in the direction of the Gryffindors, before he headed over to the Slytherin table to have lunch with his boyfriend, leaving Hermione to try to talk Ron out of his latest mood. He might have tried to talk to Ron himself, but he and Draco had learned the hard way that it was a bad idea for them not to make the most of the lunch hour for magical energy transfers between them.

"What's up with Weasley?" Draco asked, gesturing with the handle of his knife towards the Gryffindor table as Harry took the seat next to him.

Harry turned and quickly found himself facing the annoyed glare of his red-headed best friend. He sighed. "I might not have been quite as disparaging about Snape as Ron would have liked me to be," he admitted. "What?" he asked when he realised that Draco, Pansy and Blaise were all staring at him. "It isn't like I said anything actually nice about Snape; I just commented that him being replaced so quickly might not have been particularly fair."

"Good job, Potter," Draco said happily, a genuine smile on his lips. "You stood up for Snape and aggravated Weasley in one go. I am very proud of you," he added, patting Harry's shoulder in a deliberately condescending manner.

"Prat," Harry said with chuckle and a roll of his eyes, shrugging Draco off.

A moment later though, he put his own hand on Draco's leg to allow his boyfriend's body and their child access to his magical energy, using his free hand to serve himself some lunch. Draco almost melted into him at the touch, as the energy flowed. Normally, the blond took great care to keep his wings folded behind him so as not to knock someone with them, but the tingling of magical energy had one almost instinctively moving to stroke Harry's back. Harry turned to smile at his boyfriend, enjoying the sensation of feathers through the back of his robes.

"I will let you collect your reward later," Draco whispered, placing a chaste kiss on Harry's lips; and when the blond pulled back and returned his attention to his lunch, Harry was left with a dopey grin upon his face.

-#-

The Gryffindors had Herbology directly after lunch and so, as they always did, they got up to head to class together. Most of them had wanted to wait for Harry, but Ron was still in his bad mood and was having none of it; he had barely stopped complaining about Harry and Draco long enough to actually eat.

"Honestly, Ron, I don't think it is as bad as you are making it out to be," Neville said in a calm tone, as he walked between the red-head and Seamus on his way to Herbology; Hermione and Dean on the other side of the Irishman.

"He defended Snape, and then you saw him laughing at me with those... Slytherins." He practically spat the last word out as though it was the worst insult he could imagine. "And Malfoy feeling him up with his weird wings, and kissing him in front of us all," he went on. "This is all Malfoy's doing," he told them firmly, as they exited the castle and started making their way across the grounds towards the greenhouses.

"You are being ridiculous," Hermione told him curtly, a frown on her face. Up till now, she had been impressed with how well Ron had been handling everything about Malfoy over the last three and a half months. She had expected a fight of this nature to occur at some point but it seemed ludicrous to her that it was over Professor Snape of all people. "Harry wasn't saying that he actually liked Professor Snape, Ron, he was merely being understanding of his boyfriend's perspective on the matter," she pointed out.

"Well... that's half the problem isn't it," Ron argued back. "It is always about what Malfoy thinks now, as though the Harry we knew is just... He's letting Malfoy walk all over him!" Ron finished, crossing his arms over his chest and storming off ahead of them.

"You don't think that's true, do you?" Seamus asked, wondering if they really were losing the Harry they knew and loved to the blond Slytherin.

"Don't be stupid, Seamus," Dean said with a shake of his head. "Harry is still Harry, if anything it is Malfoy who has really changed; when was the last time you saw him picking on anyone?"

"I think they have both changed," Neville said, clearly thinking on it hard. "It makes sense though, they are in a relationship; they are compromising now that they can understand and even feel what the other is thinking and feeling."

"Well said, Neville," Hermione praised him with a smile that he returned.

-#-

Harry was not surprised that Ron hadn't waited for him, but he was a little hurt that the rest of the Gryffindors had left with Ron; he could see them walking a short way ahead.

The Slytherins didn't have Herbology with the Gryffindors, and Draco had a free period; the blond had decided to use the time to go and write to his mother about Slughorn’s appointment to the Hogwarts faculty. So Harry was alone as he made his way across the ground quickly, hoping to catch up with his housemates.

"He's letting Malfoy walk all over him!"

Ron's shout carried on the wind and stopped Harry in his tracks. _Did Ron really believe that?_ he wondered. He supposed he must do if he was shouting it at the others so emphatically. It wasn't true of course, Harry knew that, but it wasn't exactly nice to hear that his supposedly best friend thought it was.

He would talk to Ron later, or maybe see if Hermione would talk to him for him, though Harry already knew that she wouldn't agree to that; maybe she would agree to be present though, to help keep Ron from completely losing his temper.

It was infuriating that once again he had to defend himself against what Ron had decided he was doing wrong. He didn't feel that he should have to, but that seemed to be how their friendship worked: something happened to Harry, he dealt with it as best he could and then Ron would over-react and find some way to blame everything on him.

Wrapping his arms around himself against the cold and hitching his bag higher up on his shoulder, Harry started moving towards the greenhouses again; he was not looking forward to an hour of being glared at by Ron, but Harry was grateful to see, when he arrived, that Dean had saved a space for Harry next to him.

-#-

"Are you well, ma chérie?" Adrian asked, as he observed the pinched expression on Narcissa's face as she read the letter that had arrived.

"Hmm?" Narcissa hummed, turning to look up at her lover, who was standing in the doorway to the drawing room, a book in his hand. "Sorry, yes, thank you; I am just fine," she assured him, giving him a smile as he came and sat on the sofa next to her. She really did enjoy being with someone who showed a genuine interest in her life and well-being. "It's from Draco," she explained, folding up the letter and placing it on the table in front of her.

"Iz 'e well?" Adrian questioned with sudden concern; though Narcissa seemed far too calm for anything serious to have occurred. "You look… ah... pensive, ma chérie."

"Oh, he is quite well, he assures me, he and Harry both," she assured him. "This is about Severus, and I am afraid that once again I must make a visit to speak with him."

"You do what you must, Narcissa," he told her, placing a kiss on the back on her hand that he held gently in his own. "I shall amuse myself with my books," he assured her, raising the one of his lap to make his point, "but I will eagerly await your return, for it is absence which makes ze 'eart grow fonder."

Narcissa chuckled lightly, allowing him to place a not entirely chaste kiss upon her lips before she took her leave and flooed, once again, back to England.

-#-

"I understand the need for this school to have a potions master, Albus," McGonagall said sharply, "but I am rather confused as to the secrecy involved with Horace's appointment."

She had come to the headmaster's office as soon as the day’s lessons had been completed, having heard news of Professor Horace Slughorn teaching potions from some of her students. And now she found herself standing next to Remus, Tonks, Filius and Pamona, across the desk from the perpetually composed Albus Dumbledore.

"It is less that I was concealing this from any of you, Minerva," he responded calmly, with a pleasant smile upon his lips, "and more that it is a matter that I was not sure that it would come to fruition at all until the rather late hours of last night."

"Oh?" Pomona prompted, her curiosity piqued. She had rather been under the impression, as all of them had, that Horace had no desire to return to his post at the school and so she was extremely interested to know what had happened to encourage the man back to Hogwarts.

"Quite," Albus said, with a subtle nod of his head. "Horace was rather elusive and took some persuading." He wasn't about to elaborate on his reasoning for going to such lengths to hire the former potions master, nor the methods he had adopted. It was not information that he felt he needed to share with the staff gathered before him.

"We still have not been informed as to why Severus has stepped down," Filius pointed out. They had each asked after him several times over the last week, worried by their colleague’s unexplained absence, but the Headmaster had remained stubbornly silent in that regard.

"It is a personal matter that I am not at liberty to disclose," Albus said sternly, making it as clear as he could with the expression he was wearing that this was not up for debate.

McGonagall's lips were pinched thin; it was clear that she was holding back things she had to say. She considered Severus a friend and was not best pleased on being kept in the dark on whatever was bothering or troubling the normally unshakable man. She was also rather suspicious that the Headmaster was keeping something from them; Albus was never the most forthcoming of colleagues, and it felt there was more to this story than they were being told.

"Now," Albus said, smiling warmly, "I wish to speak with Remus and Tonks for a moment, if you would all be so kind." The dismissal in his words was clear to the heads of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw; and it was clear that there would be no further information coming from the Headmaster, even if they had not quite gotten the answers they were after.

Filius and Pomona left promptly, having a quiet discussion between themselves. Minerva waited only a few seconds more before accepting the futility of trying to get Albus to tell her anything else and following after her colleagues. Remus took Tonks’ hand, going to follow her but the Headmaster had other ideas.

“I would like a word, if you would wait a moment longer,” Dumbledore requested. Remus shared a look with his girlfriend, before the two of them took their seats as Dumbledore conjured a matching pair of armchairs in front of his desk. "I wished to ask after our guest," the Headmaster informed them, leaning forward to peer at them closely.

"I have mostly let the house elves deal with him," Remus admitted. He had made no secret about not really wanting to care for Lucius Malfoy, so he felt no guilt for not attending to the man personally.

"He is a rude and arrogant man," Tonks interrupted, still unhappy about the manner in which her uncle had been forced into her life without any chance for her to protest the situation. She loved Remus, more than he tended to accept to be true, but this was testing her patience sorely.

"Tonks, I wish you wouldn't speak with him, he only says the things he does to upset you," Remus said pleadingly, with the exasperated tone of someone tired of repeating themselves. Tonks scowled at him, her hair darkening a few shades as Remus turned to the Headmaster. "Malfoy doesn’t say much to me, other than to complain about the quality of the meals he has been provided with. I believe the words he used were ‘cruel and inhuman form of torture’.”

“He’s a complete drama queen,” Tonks muttered under her breath, taking a deep calming breath when the two men turned to look at her. “He has probably only deemed us worthy of hearing him speak at all because he has no other visitors; not even Draco.”

Dumbledore hummed softly, inclining his head in a slight nod. "I do believe that Narcissa has requested that Draco not be allowed to speak with his father for the time being,” the Headmaster explained. “And given that both Draco and Harry have quite enough on their young minds for the time being, I believe this to be the best course of action."

"I agree," Remus said firmly, glad to see any distance put between Harry’s mate and Lucius. Tonks nodded her agreement as well, pleased to see that it was the young boys' well being that was being placed as the priority, in this regard at least. 

"Very well, I think we can leave it at that,” Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together gently. “Unless there was anything else that either of you wished to discuss?” The two of them shook their head, and the Headmaster smiled at them fondly. “I trust, of course, that you will inform me if there is any change in the situation?" he added, eyeing both of them over the top of his spectacles as they got to their feet.

"Of course, Albus," Tonks said firmly, clearly not in the best of moods, and she headed straight for the door.

Remus nodded his head to the Headmaster, letting him know that they really would keep him informed before hastily following his girlfriend; neither Remus nor Tonks had any intention of tolerating Lucius for a moment longer than they had to, that was something they had had no trouble agreeing on.

-#-

"Severus?" Narcissa called out as she stepped out of the floo into her friend's house at Spinner's End. "Are you moping about still?" she asked as she stepped into the library, unsurprised to find him sitting in there, reading.

"I was enjoying my seclusion, Narcissa," he informed her, looking up from the book on his lap to meet her eyes, a stern expression on her face as she sat herself in the chair next to him. There were a few moments of silence, during which Severus turned back to his book, before Narcissa spoke.

"I don't suppose you have heard anything from Dumbledore?" she asked.

Severus looked up once more, surprise and confusion on his face; Narcissa smiled knowing she was one of the few who the man showed his emotions to so openly. "I heard nothing," Severus informed her. "Though," he went on, "my wards to prevent owls are in still place. I am admittedly curious as to how you bypassed those."

"By simply transforming something that is not an owl, so that it appears to be one," she told him with a small smile. "Your wards might keep out owls, Severus, but they offered no resistance to a transfigured comb. But now, my friend, I shall not be distracted from this conversation so easily."

Severus chuckled lightly at that, admittedly impressed by the simplicity of Narcissa's solution and her determination to discuss whatever it was that had brought her back from Paris once again. "I have received no attempts at communication from Albus," he informed her after a few moments, closing his book and placing it on the table next to him so as to grant her his full attention.

"Then I suppose that Horace Slughorn's return to Hogwarts will come as much as a surprise to you as it did to Draco," she said, a pleasant smile still soft upon her face; although Severus could see her watching him curiously, awaiting his reaction.

"Indeed, this is news to me," Severus confirmed. "But I was aware that Albus would have to acquire another potions master to replace me in due time."

"In due time, Severus," Narcissa said, a little indignantly, "it has been a week. I am, of course, not certain about the permanence of the position that Slughorn has been offered, but that Dumbledore has done nothing to inform you..."

"I do not believe that Slughorn will have any desire to remain in that post for any length of time," Severus told her as he contemplated the matter. "I remember that he was quite keen on the prospect of retirement when he relinquished his post to me," he recalled. "It would seem likely to me that Slughorn was offered some motivation to return."

"You think that Dumbledore manipulated him into returning?" Narcissa asked, surprised by the suggestion. It had not occurred to her that there might be anything more to the staffing change than was apparent on the surface, and she had acted purely in what she believed to be her friend's interests by informing him as soon as possible. "How would Dumbledore have achieved such a thing?"

"I think it is a possibility that we must consider. And the more pressing question than how, is why," Severus said, relaxing back in his armchair, his gaze slightly distant and he contemplated the situation. "I am unclear what purpose Slughorn would serve in Dumbledore's plans," he admitted. "Perhaps I shall write to our esteemed Headmaster and discuss my return after all."

It was not the motivation that Narcissa had intended to use to spur Severus out of his morose and isolated state, but nevertheless she smiled subtly, pleased to see some life in her friend's eyes once more.

-#-

Remus rapped his knuckles firmly against the open door of the potions lab, as he cautiously stepped inside. "Professor?" he called out, and smiled when he saw the portly teacher at the front of the room, glad that he would not have to go to any great lengths to seek the man out.

Slughorn had been the man who had taught him potions and so it gave him an oddly nostalgic feeling to see him in the classroom again.

"Ah, Mr Lupin, I had heard you were living in the school," Slughorn said, turning from where he was sorting papers on his desk to greet his former student. "Most wise; a safe residence is, of course, a highly prized gift in these... complicated times," he said, a strained expression on his face.

"I suppose so," Remus agreed, not having really considered the matter. Of course it was known that Hogwarts was one of the safest locations to be, it was why they were so insistent that both Harry and Draco remained in the castle, but he had come to the school for Harry's sake, rather than for his own.

"You always did know the value of the right friends, Mr Lupin," Slughorn said.

Remus furrowed his brow slightly, remembering that this was something that the potions master had praised him for a great many years ago; he had implied that James and Sirius were well chosen to keep him in favour of those that mattered despite his lycanthropy. Of course that had never been his motivation for being their friend, but even in his teenage years, Remus had decided to let the man believe what he would.

"And I hear you have taken up with a rather lovely young Auror; friends in high places, indeed," the portly man went on, looking almost impressed.

"Tonks is a very special woman," Remus said, feeling the need to defend his lover; he certainly was not with her for any reason other than the person she was. "Her career as an Auror is neither here nor there," he explained curtly.

"Hmm, indeed," Slughorn said, with obvious scepticism."Now, is there some way in which I can help you?" he asked, puffing himself up importantly.

"Oh, not particularly, sir," Remus replied, the formality slipping off his tongue out of habit rather than respect, having never before spoken to the man as anything other than his professor. "It was just... I was under the impression that you were enjoying your retirement."

"Yes, well," Slughorn said, seeming a little uncomfortable as the unspoken question. "Retirement is only enjoyable when you are able to relax, when you are confident in the safety of your own home," he said a little stiffly.

"You were attacked?" Remus asked, his mind spinning with questions and possible scenarios.

"Well I am a very prestigious potions master, you know," Slughorn said proudly, "there are many who would highly value my knowledge."

"Of course," Remus agreed, thinking that it was likely that Slughorn was not just talking about just someone with a casual passing interest in potion brewing and that those that had left the man feeling unsafe might be highly dangerous. Of course the timing was suspicious. "Anyway, welcome back to Hogwarts, I will leave you to your evening," he said, thinking he needed time to think; and to speak with Harry.

-#-

"Harry," Remus called out loudly, when he spotted the boy heading along a corridor towards the Grand Staircase, the tips of distinctive purple wings next to him indicating Draco's presence, despite the numerous students around them both. "A word?" he requested, when those green eyes turned to look his way.

It took a few moments for Harry to navigate his way through the general flow of students travelling along the corridor and reach Remus, though when he had managed it Remus was unsurprised to see Draco at his side.

"Is everything okay, sir?" Harry asked, as Remus lead them off down a quieter corridor in the direction of the rooms that he shared with Tonks.

"Hmm?” the professor hummed vaguely, turning to look at the pair walking next to him. “Oh, yes, nothing to worry about, I just wished to speak with you about something," Remus assured them.

Harry shared a concerned look with Draco as they followed behind the werewolf; Remus was unusually distracted and they were curious, not to mention a little worried, about what he might have to tell them.

However, they remained silent for the few minutes it took them to reach Remus’ quarters. And then for a few more of the sofa, while the professor bustled around the room, until they were all comfortably settled with cups of tea that Remus had insisted they needed.

"Remus, what's this about?" Harry asked, realising that his father's old friend was deliberately delaying the moment that he had to speak whatever was on his mind, something that was only making both Harry and Draco more concerned.

Remus placed his cup on the coffee table before looking up to meet Harry's eyes. "I spoke with Professor Slughorn this evening, and I find myself a little suspicious about his reasons for being here."

"In the castle you mean?" Draco asked, his interest piqued by the discussion of the unwelcome staffing change.

"Yes, sort of," Remus told them, "though that is not what concerns me. Professor Slughorn openly admitted that he has taken up residence here for his own safety; he said that his retirement wasn't worth anything if he didn't feel safe in his own home."

"You think that someone is after him?" Harry asked, wondering who would have anything to gain from attacking an old potions teacher.

"You think that there might be Death Eaters after him?" Draco asked, his voice a little shaking and he couldn’t help glancing towards the door which hid his father.

Harry reached out and clasped Draco's hand in his own; he carefully let out his green feathered wings to wrap them around them both, knowing that his boyfriend somehow found comfort in them. Sure enough Draco sighed and subtly leaned back against the wing behind him.

"I believe that Professor Slughorn _believes_ that Death Eaters are after him," Remus said, watching the interaction between the two boys fondly. "Dumbledore said that it was only last night that Professor Slughorn agreed to return and take up the post of potions master..."

"Which means that yesterday, something motivated him to accept a position at Hogwarts," Draco said slowly, mulling it all over. "So you believe he was attacked last night?" Draco asked, leaning forward and resting his arms against his knees, his brain spinning as he clued into what the man before him was getting at.

"That's some convenient timing," Harry said with a frown, making the other two turn to him. "I mean, Dumbledore needs a potions master and suddenly Slughorn gets attacked..."

"Precisely, Harry," Remus said, looking worried.

"You are wondering if it actually was Death Eaters who attacked Slughorn and scared him into coming here," Draco said, leaning back into Harry's side again.

"That I am," Remus said thoughtfully, picking up his tea, leaning back against the sofa and taking a sip. "I think we need to understand Dumbledore's true motivations for bringing Slughorn here."

"He isn't just here to teach?" Harry asked, feeling as though he was missing something.

"I am starting to wonder if there is more to all of this than meets the eye, Harry," Remus said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Just please, be careful," he requested, Harry and Draco both nodding their agreement; that they needed to be wary of Dumbledore was not exactly breaking news to either of them but they would heed the warning nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take the time to leave me a comment with your thoughts, it will probably make my day.


	33. Entitlement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, well I certainly never thought that it would take me this long to get back to this story again. But we FINALLY have an update. I am not sure how long it will be before I have another chapter ready, but I am not going to let it be anywhere near this long again.
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> As always, thanks to my wonderful beta AchillesTheGeek.

Severus huffed as he rolled himself onto his back; sleep was continuing to evade him once again. Narcissa’s visits had given him a great deal to think about; too much, in fact, or at least enough so that it was a struggle to quieten his thoughts enough to be able to find sleep.

He had yet to write to Dumbledore or do anything else about returning to Hogwarts. He had meant what he had told Narcissa, he did intend to speak with the Headmaster about returning to the school but truthfully he felt humiliated and was reluctant to deal with Dumbledore’s knowing looks. Nor did he know what he wanted to do in respect of Lucius.

Thoughts of the man were still dominating those rare moments of sleep that Severus was managing to get. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the dreams; in fact, he was deriving a great deal of pleasure from them, but they were doing nothing to help with his intention to put his infatuation with Lucius behind him. It was turning out that it was much harder to not think about the blond now that he had genuine memories of being with the man to dwell on.

Writing the last few hours until dawn off as a lost cause, Severus begrudgingly slid out from beneath his covers. Removing a sleeping robe from a nearby hook, he pulled it over his shoulders to protect him from the chill that still hung in the air even though March was rapidly approaching.  The robe swept out behind him as he made his way down the narrow staircase of his house and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, in the hope that perhaps caffeine might help him deal without the sleep that his brain had been denying him the last few days.

As he waited for his muggle kettle to boil, he mulled over everything that he and Narcissa had discussed.

_He has simply insulted you and you run, surrender so much that is yours. Your home, your job, your potions._

Narcissa had been right of course, Severus realised, and he felt foolish for having fled from his whole life on the words of the notoriously vindictive man. He wasn’t convinced by her insistence that Lucius acting out of fear, nor that the man was as enamoured with him as Narcissa seemed to believe, but she was right about one thing: Severus should not just abandon the life he had built for himself. He would not allow Lucius that victory, he decided, ignoring the boiling kettle in favour of writing to the Headmaster.

-#-

“AHH!” Harry exclaimed in surprise as he and his pyjamas were splattered with water by Draco, who had stepped out of the shower and deliberately chosen to dry his wings by shaking them, rather than use a Charm. The joyous sound of Draco’s amusement filling their bathroom sapped most of Harry’s annoyance. “Hilarious,” he said dryly, as he used his top to wipe the worst of the water from his glasses.

“Couldn’t resist,” Draco stated, and the blond’s devious grin came into focus for Harry as he pushed his glasses back into place. The expression softened, however, as Draco took a few steps into Harry’s personal space and reached up to brush a stray droplet from Harry’s hair. “You’re so cute when you are all bedraggled,” he teased.

“Thanks… I think,” Harry said with a bemused smile on his face, as Draco went up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “I… er… should, yeah… shower and erm… put on clothes, other clothes, my uniform I mean,” he rambled, as Draco pulled back with a smug look on his face.

“Uh-hmm,” Draco hummed in amused agreement, his hand pressed against Harry’s chest, “of course. We wouldn’t want to be late for breakfast.” And with that he leaned up to steal another brief kiss before sauntering out of the room, still completely naked, his wings spreading out behind him to let them dry properly.

Harry watched him go, a flush rising to his face as he appreciated his mate’s body. It really was quite a sight; perfectly round butt cheeks shifting with each step, elegant legs that were surprisingly long given Draco’s short stature, and perfectly straight white-blond hair hanging halfway down his flawless back, covering the point where the large purple wings were attacked. An involuntary moan passed his lips when Draco bent over to pick up his underwear, and Harry had to force himself to look away and focus on getting himself ready for the day ahead.

-#-

“Lupin,” Lucius sneered through clenched teeth as the werewolf placed the breakfast he had brought him down on the small table. Most of his meals had been brought to him by house-elves but the werewolf seemed to have this ridiculous need to check on him regularly, as though he was going to do something as preposterous as harm himself.

“Malfoy.” Remus’ tone was clipped and impatient as he turned to the tall blond. Lucius had barely spoken a word to him in the days that he had been in the room, and the surprise was written all over the werewolf’s face.

Lucius steeled his face, as he crossed one knee over the other and leaned back in his chair. His inferior living conditions were infuriatingly humiliating and his only entertainment had been the taunting words he had been throwing at Andromeda’s daughter, but he wasn’t prepared to let anyone see how much it was getting to him. “You need to bring…”  

“Need?” Remus interrupted with an incredulous laugh. “I am pretty certain, Malfoy, that given your current predicament, I don’t _need_ to do a damn thing. If you really want something bad enough, you’ll learn to ask nicely,” he told him with a deceptively pleasant smile.

Lucius’ eyes narrowed in annoyance, his lips pinched to keep the vitriol on his tongue from spilling out; he was Slytherin enough to know that he could not afford to alienate Lupin. For the moment, at least, he needed the man on his side. Though he had to wonder how it had come to this, actually have to _ask favours_ from a werewolf of all people.

“Would you be so kind…” Lucius said, forcing a smile and ignoring the nausea that churned in his gut, unsure if said nausea came from the sight of the pitiful breakfast on the table next to him or the fact that he was left with no choice but to treat this werewolf as though it actually deserved this level of respect. Swallowing his pride as best he could, he tried again. “Would you be so kind as to bring my son to me?”

Remus hesitated, looking rather surprised by this request. “A few days ago you wouldn’t even speak to him,” Remus pointed out, as he watched Lucius with curiosity, trying to figure out what the man was up to. “What’s changed?” he asked slowly.

“My tolerance for these abhorrent conditions,” Lucius sneered, with a vague wave of his long fingers at the small, mostly bare room around them.  “And my willingness to consume this…” he trailed off, delicately lifting a piece of dry toast between his thumb and forefinger with, his lip curling in disgust as he dropped it back onto the plate, “…food.”

“More than you deserve,” Remus muttered under his breath, as he turned his back on the blond; he was having to remind himself, given Malfoy was currently under his care, that he probably shouldn’t break the man’s nose. He took a calming breath and turned back to Malfoy, attempting to keep his irritation from his face. “I will ask. But I make no promises; it will be up to Draco. Enjoy your breakfast,” he added, heading out of the room before Lucius could comment and all but slamming the door behind himself.

Leaning back against the door, Remus gave himself a moment to ponder what had just happened. Lucius Malfoy had actually managed to force himself into asking for something nicely. A disbelieving laugh bubbled out of Remus’ throat as he picked up his outer robes, deciding to have breakfast in the Great Hall. Maybe the man really could learn to behave like a decent human being after all.

-#-

The mental image of Draco’s naked body walking away from him and bending over was still playing on repeat in Harry’s mind as he absent-mindedly fed himself porridge. He and Draco were sitting at the Gryffindor table today, across from Hermione and Ginny, with Ron on Hermione’s far side, pointedly ignoring the two Erotes. He was still apparently angry about Harry’s defence of Snape. While Harry did intend to talk to his best friend eventually, for the moment he was happy to let Ron stew on it a little longer.

“Did you drug him or something?” Ginny quietly asked Draco leaning across the table towards the blond, as she watched the obviously distracted Harry with concern. Draco let out an exaggeratedly outraged gasp.

“I most certainly did not, Weasley,” Draco insisted, looking highly offended by the suggestion. “Harry was merely so stunned by the beauty of my naked body this morning that it is taking him all this time to fully regain his faculties,” he stated smugly, ignoring the nauseated expression that formed on Ron’s face.

“Do you have to be quite so crude?” Hermione asked, as she peered at Draco over the top of the Daily Prophet, before turning to smile at Neville, Dean, and Seamus, as the three of them joined them at the table.

“Who’s being crude now?” Neville asked with an amused smile, clearly having caught Hermione’s words but not the conversation that preceded it.

“Ron and Hermione don’t like Draco talking about his naked body at the breakfast table,” Ginny explained helpfully, giggling a little as the three boys turned to look at Ron, who scowled in annoyance and focused on his breakfast.

“Ron’s naked body, or Draco’s,” Seamus asked with broad, cheeky grin, though he also seemed to be genuinely curious as he looked between the two boys in question, eyeing them both up and down.

“Draco’s,” Ron, Ginny and Hermione all quickly answered as one. And Draco flashed the Irishman an innocent smile that didn’t fool anyone.

“Is that what has Harry in such a trance?” Dean questioned, leaning over and waving his hand in front of Harry’s face, causing Harry to suddenly look up at him with a baffled expression, glancing around at his friends who were staring at him. “You alright, mate?” he asked.

“What?” Harry asked with confusion; this, however, just made his housemates laugh. Hermione tutted quietly and went back to her paper, and Harry turned to Draco, who was smiling at him indulgently.

“What did I miss?” he enquired.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Draco assured him, shaking his head at his mate and patting Harry’s hand in a manner Harry found rather patronising if his scowl was anything to go by. “No one can blame you for getting distracted thinking about me,” he added in a whisper, pressing a kiss by Harry’s ear, “because I think we all know how bloody gorgeous I am.”

Harry chuckled deeply at that and wrapped an arm around his mate’s waist, pulling him closer to his side. After all, his submissive was not wrong: despite how arrogant Draco frequently was, Harry did consider himself extremely lucky to have the blond as his mate.

“Erm, Harry,” Neville said quietly, and Harry forced himself to take his eyes off Draco and give his attention to his housemate. Seamus and Dean were now talking to each other and Hermione was chastising Ron for taking a third helping of bacon, but Neville’s eyes were going from Harry and Draco to somewhere over their shoulders. “Professor Lupin is heading this way and he has a really serious expression on his face.”

Both Harry and Draco turned, following the direction of Neville’s gaze, and, sure enough, Remus was heading their way. Harry glanced at Draco, but the subtle shift of the blond’s shoulders and his facial expression told him that his mate had no more idea what was going on than he did. So he turned his attention back to his father’s friend, greeting him with a warm smile.

“Good morning,” Remus said, smiling at the group of students who had turned to watch him curiously. “Mr Malfoy, could I have a word?” he requested, causing both Harry and Draco’s eyes to widen in surprise, having expected Remus to want to speak with Harry. “I am sure Harry can come too, if you would like,” he added, looking a little concerned by their reactions.

“Erm… Yeah… of course, if you want me there,” Harry agreed, looking to Draco questioningly. He was definitely curious about what Remus would have to discuss with Draco, but he didn’t want to push into something that wasn’t his business. He trusted his mate completely, and if Draco wanted to talk with Remus in private, then Harry had no objection.

“Come on,” Draco said with exasperated fondness, as he got to his feet, tugging gently on Harry’s arm. “You will only drive me crazy with your questioning looks all day if you stay behind,” he teased, but Harry just shrugged his shoulders unrepentantly and stood up from the table. “I’ll see you guys in class,” he added to his friends, who barely looked up from their own conversations to give him vague waves before the three of them headed out of the Great Hall.

Out in the Entrance Hall, Remus took the lead and Harry and Draco shared a brief, confused look before following the professor down the corridor and into a nearby classroom.

“A clandestine meeting in an all but abandoned classroom,” Draco commented, as Remus gestured to some chairs in an unspoken suggestion that they sit. “Some might think this a little clichéd, Sir.”

Remus laughed softly. “Needs must, I’m afraid,” he said after a moment, giving the two boys a wry smile as they both took seats, sticking close to each other. With a wave of his wand, Remus covered the room in a silencing spell and sealed the door with a locking spell. He couldn’t risk someone interrupting or hearing about Lucius, not after the lengths they had gone to in order to keep the man’s presence in Hogwarts a secret.

“Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy that is,” Remus said, correcting himself quickly when Draco scowled at him. However, Remus had misunderstood the blond’s annoyance.

“No,” Draco stated bluntly. “Forget it, whatever it is,” he added sternly, when Remus opened his mouth to say something more.

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked, leaning forward as he reached over to take Draco’s hand when his submissive mate went to stand up, presumably to leave. He understood that Draco had made a choice to respect his mother’s wishes and not see Lucius, but if something had happened…

“No, no,” Remus assured them quickly, “Malfoy is fine. His usual arrogant self,” he added under his breath.

“Ahhh, well that runs in the family,” Harry teased with a grin, earning an annoyed glare from his mate and having his hand slapped away.

“Malfoy just asked to speak with you, Draco,” Remus explained, ignoring the looks that the two boys were giving each other. “I told him I would ask, but I made no promises, and said that it would be your choice.”

“Well then it is definitely a ‘no’,” Draco reiterated with a calm tone of finality. “I promised my mother that I would stay away from him for the moment, and that is a promise I intend to keep. And honestly, I do not need the stress of his judgment at the moment,” he added, his hand pressed against his belly.

“I understand,” Remus said, nodding his head and actually looking rather pleased by this turn of events. He was not surprised, given this was essentially what Dumbledore had already told him, but he had wanted to let Draco make the choice for himself. “I will pass the message along,” he added, the corner of his lip twitching into what Harry thought might be a smirk, making Harry suspect that Remus was going to relish being able to give Lucius that news.

“You do that,” Draco said, getting to his feet. Remus wordlessly dispelled the wards with two waves of his wand before Draco reached the door. Harry paused long enough to give the professor a grateful smile, before following after his mate.

-#-

“Oi, Weasley,” Blaise called out as he and Pansy approached the Charms classroom, outside of which most of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were already gathered, along with a couple of Hufflepuffs, waiting to be let in. Hermione and Ron both turned towards him at the call.

“What, Zabini?” Ron asked with an impatient sigh, as the two Slytherins stopped next to him and Hermione. Pansy leaned against the wall, watching the others with an expression of mild curiosity, her hip cocked and winking at Neville, who got suddenly quite flustered, his stack of books tumbling from his hands.

“Sorry,” Neville muttered, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, as the gathered students all turned to look at him. Seamus hurried to help him, and Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones soon joined in, all of them helping him to gather his books and parchment back up into a neat pile.

Blaise frowned at them for a moment, before apparently deciding it wasn’t work his attention, turning back to Ron. “What did Professor Lupin want with Potter?” Blaise asked impatiently.

“He wanted to speak with Draco actually,” Hermione corrected and that certainly got Pansy’s attention, as she tore her eyes from Neville and friends, pushed off the wall and pierced Hermione with a glare that demanded answers.

“And you can ask the pompous, blond prat himself what it was about,” Ron added, gesturing down the corridor behind Blaise and Pansy, and the two of them turned to see Draco approaching, Harry just behind him.

“What is going on?” Draco asked as he reached them, more than a little aware that Pansy, Blaise, Hermione and Ron were all watching him. He narrowed his eyes at each of them in turn. “What are you all looking at?” he demanded to know.

“Just wondering what Lupin wanted with you and Potter,” Pansy informed him, as Harry reached Draco’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“He was merely inviting me to meet his guest,” Draco told them dismissively, hoping that his friends would be able to put the pieces together from that, because he certainly wasn’t going to mention Lucius in front of all their classmates. “An offer I declined,” he added quickly, when Ron opened his mouth to ask something; he didn’t trust the red-head not to blurt out the wrong thing.

Ron, however, was sick and tired of feeling like he was being left out of the loop and so persisted. “Who…?” he started to ask.

“Later, Ron,” Hermione interrupted, nudging her friend sharply in the ribs to shut him up, having spotted Crabbe and Goyle heading down the corridor towards them. She wasn’t sure exactly how much Draco’s two former friends knew, but she was fairly certain that Draco wasn’t going to want to discuss anything with them around.

Thankfully though, the classroom door opened a few seconds later and the gathered students started to file in. Ron scowled at the two Erotes for a moment, before storming away from them into the classroom, Hermione heading after him with a weary sigh. Harry leaned forward as he followed Hermione into the room, whispering “Thank you,” in her ear, and even from behind, he could see that she was smiling.

-#-

It was late in the afternoon, but being winter, the sun was already low in the sky and casting a dusky glow through grimy windows into the living room of Spinner’s End. Severus was once again stood in front of the fireplace, the heat from the flames leaving him far too warm in his teaching robes.

He pulled at the black material to straighten it, brushing a hand down the front to remove non-existent blemishes from the thick fabric. He knew full well that it was a pointless gesture, particularly given that travelling by Floo would leave him slightly ruffled at the other end anyway, but the action soothed his anxiety somewhat and, given that he was alone, he indulged himself.

Tugging sharply on his own sleeve, in order to pull the material further up his wrist and keep it from dragging in the contents, Severus took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the burning fire. The flames flashed green and Severus stepped into them, tucking his elbows tightly into his sides. “Headmaster’s office, Hogwarts,” he intoned.

Suddenly he found himself in a blur of fireplaces, split-second views of numerous rooms flying past his eyes, until the familiar office of Albus Dumbledore came into view and he stepped out, his hands moving instinctively to dust the soot off his robes.

“Severus,” Albus greeted jubilantly. “It is good to see you. I was surprised to receive your letter this morning,” he commented, holding up said piece of parchment before placing it back with a stack of other correspondence on his desk.

“I felt there were matters we should discuss,” Severus stated, as he swept his way over to the chair that had already been set up across the desk from where the Headmaster was sat. He took his time, carefully taking his seat, hooking one knee over the other, and giving the appearance of relaxing in the chair; however, he kept his eyes fixed on Dumbledore.

“What is it you would like to discuss?” Albus asked kindly, with the air of endless patience. “Your letter was rather vague. Though I gather you would be interested in returning to your former post?”

“I would,” Severus confirmed with a curt nod of his head. “I assume you would be agreeable to my return?”

“Well there is the matter of Horace, who was kind enough to cover the potions classes in your absence,” Albus pointed out. “As much as I wish to reinstate you, I cannot simply oust him from Hogwarts now.”

“No, I suppose not,” Severus said dryly. “I was rather surprised that you were able to persuade him to return at all, if we are being honest. I had rather been given the impression that he had taken well to retirement.”

Albus chuckled wryly. “You are not mistaken,” the Headmaster confirmed, pausing for a moment, his expression becoming more serious before continuing. “But some rather unfortunate events did work in our favour on this occasion. Horace was attacked,” he explained, his tone sombre.

 “I see,” Severus said, keeping his expression blank, even as his mind churned, processing what he was being told. The timing really did seem too coincidental, and that combined with Dumbledore’s reluctance to let Slughorn leave, certainly seemed suspicious. “Then perhaps we can share the work load,” he suggested.

The Headmaster hummed thoughtfully, apparently giving the suggestion serious thought. “The idea has merit,” Albus agreed, nodding his head. “Perhaps if you were to handle the NEWT students, and maybe the first years, then Horace could handle the others.”

Severus bowed his head. “That would be agreeable.” The reduced workload would at least allow him time for research; there were several things that he felt would warrant his attention, not the least of which being finding out exactly what Dumbledore wanted with Slughorn.

“Then I shall speak with Horace,” Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together, his smile firmly back in place. “Your quarters have been left untouched, so feel free to return there as soon as you like,” he offered, and Severus just nodded his head once in understanding. “I am genuinely pleased to have you back, Severus, however, I am expecting another visitor shortly…”

The Headmaster was interrupted by a very well timed knock on the office door, and both men turned towards it. “Come in,” Dumbledore called out. The door creaked open and Harry stepped into the room, though the teenager hesitated when he spotted Snape.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Harry said, looking a little flustered and unsure of himself.

“Not at all, my boy,” Dumbledore said joyfully, standing up and making his way around the desk towards Harry. “Severus and I had just finished, so your timing is excellent. Isn’t that right, Severus.”

“Of course, Headmaster,” Severus said formally, sparing a moment to fix Harry with a look of suspicion.

“Well, for what it’s worth, it is good to see you back here,” Harry told the potions master earnestly. “I certainly know that Draco will be glad to have you back. You are back, right?” he asked, cutting himself off when he realised he was on the verge of rambling.

“I am,” Severus confirmed bluntly, an awkward quietness falling between them all. “Good evening, Headmaster, Mr Potter,” he said after a few moments, striding out the door that Harry had just come through without another word.

“So he’s really back?” Harry asked Dumbledore the moment that the door had closed behind the potions master. “He’s going to take up teaching again? Does that mean that Slughorn is leaving?”

“Yes, Professor Snape will be returning to his post,” the Headmaster assured him, “though Professor Slughorn will also be staying. I intend to have them actually share the classes,” he explained. “However, that nothing you need to concern yourself with, I have invited you here for other reasons, as you well know.”

“I assumed as much,” Harry said, dropping himself into the chair that Snape had vacated. “No memories today?” he asked, having noticed the absence of the Pensieve that was usually brought out onto the Headmaster’s desk for their meetings.

“Ahh, just one today,” Dumbledore said softly, and with a wave of his wand, one of the cupboards opened. Harry turned and watched as the now-familiar large, rune-covered bowl floated out across the room and landed in its usual spot on the large desk.

“Wonderful,” Harry said quietly, his voice lacking any enthusiasm, but Dumbledore seemed unfazed. The Headmaster pulled out a small phial, which Harry knew would contain the memory they were to view, and tipped the contents into the bowl.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and stepped up next to the Headmaster. “After you, my boy,” Dumbledore said congenially, an encouraging smile on his face, and Harry leaned forward, taking a deep breath before he let himself fall into the memory.

-#-

Harry was lost in his thoughts as he made his way back towards the Gryffindor common room after his meeting with Dumbledore. True to his word, the Headmaster had only shown him one memory that evening; it had been short too, but Harry had found it weird, almost weirder still for how unremarkable the whole thing appeared to be.

The memory was one of Slughorn’s from more than half a century ago, when he had been Tom Riddle’s potions teacher, a conversation that the two of them had had following some dinner. It had been distorted though, and felt forced, and the Headmaster had seemed to relish telling Harry his theories on it being an altered memory. Harry had been neither surprised nor pleased when Dumbledore requested he obtain the true one.

However, it was not this that had Harry’s mind churning at the moment. The conversation that he and Draco had had with Remus regarding the potions master’s quick and convenient hiring seemed even more relevant in the light of this new information. Harry had to wonder if this memory could really be the reason that Dumbledore had wanted to procure the portly potions professor for Hogwarts.

It felt rather farfetched that the Headmaster would go to great lengths to ensure that Slughorn was within reach just for the sake of a memory of one conversation that was had more than fifty years earlier; but then perhaps it truly was that important that they uncover the truth behind it. Either way, Harry felt a strong need to discuss this with Draco, and maybe Remus as well.

“Dilligrout,” Harry said absent-mindedly as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, climbing through into the common room as the passageway opened up before him.

The Gryffindor common room wasn’t overly busy, but there were various groups of students sitting around, talking and studying. Harry wanted to get back to his rooms and talk with Draco, but he spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville sat together across the room and he was determined that he and Ron were going to talk.

“Hi, guys,” he said as he approached the table where they were studying together. Hermione and Neville both turned to smile at him, but Ron was unusually focused on the text book in front of him, all too obviously avoiding looking at Harry.

“Harry, come join us,” Hermione said, patting the empty chair next to her. Harry, however, looked to Ron, wanting to see his reaction to such a suggestion, but his friend was still stubbornly ignoring him.

“Only if that’s okay with Ron,” Harry replied, maintaining his calm expression when Ron looked up and glared at him. “I don’t know what you want from me,” Harry said when Ron didn’t say anything.

“I just want my best mate back,” Ron said, slamming the large text book closed. “It’s all about Malfoy with you, and I get that you two are together, and having a kid and all that, but that doesn’t mean that he owns you.”

“Draco doesn’t own me!” Harry exclaimed in outrage. “but you’re right, Draco and I are a family now. I hope that you’re still my best friend, but that’s up to you at this point, because if you make me choose…”

“Harry,” Hermione said, sounding worried as she looked between the pair of them.

“No, Hermione,” Harry said firmly before turning back to Ron again. “I get that things have changed, that I have even changed a bit, but we are talking about my family! I love Draco, I love the child that he is carrying. I still think of you as my best friend, Ron, but if you can’t accept them in my life then maybe I need to reconsider.”

“That’s not what I meant, Harry,” Ron huffed in annoyance, getting to his feet. “I just mean that you seem to have ditched us now that you have Malfoy. Everything you do seems to be about him.”

“That’s because it is, Ron!” Harry exclaimed, before taking a deep breath, determined to explain himself properly and not wanting things to spiral out of control. “Draco is my mate, he is four months pregnant with our child and is currently very reliant on my magic. And you think things are different now, what do you think is going to happen in less than six months when I am a father? Yes, you are important to me; yes, sometimes I wish that I could just do whatever I want; yes, I consider Draco in everything I do; but that is because he and our baby have to be my top priority now.”

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut again, apparently struggling to find the words. Neville and Hermione shared a look, both seeming rather uncomfortable at being caught in the middle of the argument, but not sure what to say.

“Look, Ron,” Harry said with a weary sigh, “I will try to make some more time for you guys, but I need you to understand that things are different now. There are going to have to be compromises.”

“I do get that,” Ron admitted begrudgingly, before falling silent, seemingly struggling for words to explain what he was feeling. “I just… I don’t want you to lose you…” he hedged, hoping that Harry would understand that.

A smile broke out on Harry’s lips, and before Ron had a chance to say anything else, Harry throw his arms around the red-head, pulling him into a hug. Ron was clearly stunned for a few seconds, but soon he surrendered and returned the embrace.

“You boys are idiots,” Hermione said fondly, causing both Harry and Ron to laugh as they broke away from their hug to stand awkwardly a few paces from each other.

“Sooo…” Ron said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and scuffing the toe of his foot against the ground.

“Are we good now?” Harry asked, looking concerned. “I mean… I think we’re okay… but…”

“Yeah…” Ron interrupted, “we’re good. Maybe you could join us to study for a bit?” he suggested.

“Oh… well,” Harry said hesitantly, glancing over his shoulder towards the portrait of Sir Selwyn, which hung over the entrance to his and Draco’s room.

“Yeah, I get it. Just go,” Ron said, a little huffily, dropping himself back into his seat.

“It’s just that I promised Draco that I would tell him about my meeting with Dumbledore,” Harry hurried to explain, not wanting to undo all the progress he and Ron made. “But you guys should totally come with me. Please, I would appreciate your thoughts on what Dumbledore showed me, too,” he insisted, when Ron looked unconvinced.

“Of course we’ll come,” Hermione said enthusiastically already packing up her books, and Neville nudged Ron before packing up his things.

“This is what I meant by compromises, Ron,” Harry said wearily. “I do want you to come with us, but I have already promised Draco I would find him right after the meeting. I am not just going to leave him wondering where I am, because that wouldn’t be fair to him. But please, will you join us?”

“Yeah,” Ron said, giving Harry a half smile as he got to his feet again, “let’s give this compromise thing a go.”

“Thanks so much,” Harry said sarcastically, though he chuckled and gave Ron a shove as they headed towards the portrait, while Hermione and Neville, just behind them, shared a pleased smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take the time to leave me a comment with your thoughts, it will probably make my day.


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